Tag: Jose Aldo

Frankie Edgar Faces Reality, Will Drop to Featherweight for Next Fight

(Props: fueltv)

Following his second heartbreaking decision loss to Ben Henderson, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has made the decision to drop to featherweight. The news was broken by Ariel Helwani yesterday on FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight. Since he reportedly walks around at less than 160 pounds, it’ll be a much more competitive division for Edgar, who has generally been out-sized in the Octagon, sometimes significantly. Of course, when Edgar began his UFC career in February 2007, featherweight wasn’t even an option.

Edgar is looking at December for his 145-pound debut, against an opponent to be named later. Though Frankie will likely have to win at least one fight before getting a crack at the title, featherweight champion Jose Aldo — who fights Erik Koch in October — is already laying the groundwork for a heated rivalry. As “Scarface” told Tatame:


(Props: fueltv)

Following his second heartbreaking decision loss to Ben Henderson, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has made the decision to drop to featherweight. The news was broken by Ariel Helwani yesterday on FUEL TV’s UFC Tonight. Since he reportedly walks around at less than 160 pounds, it’ll be a much more competitive division for Edgar, who has generally been out-sized in the Octagon, sometimes significantly. Of course, when Edgar began his UFC career in February 2007, featherweight wasn’t even an option.

Edgar is looking at December for his 145-pound debut, against an opponent to be named later. Though Frankie will likely have to win at least one fight before getting a crack at the title, featherweight champion Jose Aldo — who fights Erik Koch in October — is already laying the groundwork for a heated rivalry. As “Scarface” told Tatame:

“He said he wants to drop to the featherweight so I’m hoping he does that to end this story,” Aldo said. “He’s welcome here so that we shut him off and he goes to the lightweight or bantamweight classes.”

Not exactly a warm welcome to the division. Still, Edgar’s arrival into the featherweight division opens up some fantastic matchup possibilities. In the clip above, Kenny Florian mentions three great ones…

Chad Mendes: The former featherweight title contender recently rebounded from his January loss to Jose Aldo by body-shot KO’ing Cody McKenzie in just 31 seconds. Scrappy wrestler vs. scrappy wrestler?

Chan Sung Jung: The Korean Zombie’s last three fights have ended in highlight-reel stoppage victories, and Jung vs. Edgar sounds like a perfect #1 contender fight in the 145-pound division. Personally, I think Zombie’s already earned his title shot, but one more big win would clinch it.

Dustin Poirier: Unfortunately, “The Diamond” was the most recent victim of the Korean Zombie, but if the UFC wants to give Edgar a softer introduction into the featherweight class — rather than throw him in against one of their top two contenders — Poirier makes a lot of sense, and his aggressive fighting style would make for a great pairing with Edgar.

So who gets your vote? And do any of you not support Edgar’s decision to drop to 145?

Frankie Edgar Should Skip to the Front of the Line and Fight Jose Aldo

Bulging muscles, colorful outfits, strange and horrifying tattoos and hair cuts—there’s nothing normal about your typical mixed martial artist. Combine that with an ability to dish out and take enormous punishment and you have, well, a real-life …

Bulging muscles, colorful outfits, strange and horrifying tattoos and hair cuts—there’s nothing normal about your typical mixed martial artist. Combine that with an ability to dish out and take enormous punishment and you have, well, a real-life superhero.

Fans are drawn to fighters, the real-life tough guys who can do what we have all dreamed about at one time or another in our lives. They can look another man in the eye and know they will walk out of whatever may come with their heads held high.

These aren’t just athletes. They are inspirational. Aspirational. What they do in the cage, many of us can only imagine. The only thing missing is the cape.

It’s this desire to witness the extraordinary that has prevented the UFC from successfully promoting the little guys. The money is in your welterweights and above. Sure the smaller guys can kick butt too. But who really looks up to anybody 5’6″ or shorter? 

Hooters and Buffalo Wild Wings aren’t exactly packed when the featherweights fight. Time Warner doesn’t bring in extra operators to field pay-per-view orders. On the Internet, it’s a virtual ghost town.

Jose Aldo may be amazing—but he’s amazing in a vacuum. If Urijah Faber’s leg is kicked off and no one sees it, did it ever really happen at all?

There is, however, one exception. A fight that has, for whatever reason, attracted the interest of the casual MMA fan. Fans haven’t bought into Aldo, not completely. But they’ve bought into one match. 

Jose Aldo versus Frankie Edgar.

The former lightweight champion, Edgar has gotten by on moxie for much of his career. Going forward, that won’t be enough. Finally fighting where he belongs, Edgar won’t be an underdog feel-good story against Aldo. He’ll, for once, be the hunter instead of the hunted.

So why, for the love of Shamrock, isn’t the UFC making this Aldo’s first fight after his defense against Erik Koch at UFC 153?

This is the fight people care about. Edgar has established his bonafides and then some at 155 pounds. Putting him in a perfunctory tune-up fight at 145 pounds is not just taking a huge risk that disaster may strike, it’s letting the steam evaporate while the fight is hot.

Fans haven’t been crashing down the UFC’s door to see Aldo or Edgar. This time, though, I hear them knocking. Time for the UFC to answer and give the fans what we want to see. 

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UFC: Featherweights Were Scoffed At; Now They’re Stealing the Show

When the UFC adopted WEC’s featherweights, the division lacked depth and lore. I’d shrug at the mention of the smaller weight classes.   Featherweight fighters were regarded as cute novelties. In suit, the Zuffa featherweight roster was consi…

When the UFC adopted WEC’s featherweights, the division lacked depth and lore. I’d shrug at the mention of the smaller weight classes.   

Featherweight fighters were regarded as cute novelties. In suit, the Zuffa featherweight roster was considered shallow, dull, and extraneous by many UFC fanatics. 

They were wrong. 

Less then two years after the merger, UFC featherweights are creating a huge splash that defies their little bodies. They’ve sparkled under the UFC’s prevailing banner. 

The UFC featherweight journey began in cinematic fashion: Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick put on a wild show; one of the year’s best fights. Yet the “Fight of the Year” candidate didn’t suspend doubts about the division’s future. The featherweight landscape would remain desolate for months.  

UFC casuals saw the featherweights as alien midgets, among them only a few recognizable names. I remember some “fans”even contested the entertainment value of fun-sized warriors to the point of refusing to watch them.  

Unknowns bred doubt. Questions swirled around the future of the newborn weight class.

Good thing it wasn’t aborted.

Time passed. Rightful contenders arose from the proving grounds. Upon proper exposure, several of the original featherweights plucked from the WEC gained hordes of fans and enough popularity to headline shows. Meanwhile, Dana White‘s hunt for free agents didn’t cease, as guys like Hatsu Hioki have kept the division fresh. 

The WEC merger needed incubation time. Indeed, a healthy product has hatched. Let’s bask in the triumph of the UFC’s featherweight division:

Aldo has proven himself an exciting and marketable champion. His reign over 145 is long and oppressive – casual fans remember his name. He’s etching out a shining star while directing attention towards featherweight MMA that only a dominant champ could demand. “Scarface” has been instrumental to the division’s appeal. 

Another important cog: “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung-Jung has bloomed into a fan favorite. The undead Korean brawls with no regard for life, so he’s garnered a legion of Zombie fanatics. His stardom has helped unlock international markets and lure attention to the Octagon and to featherweight MMA.  

The list of gems winds on: There’s Jimy Hettes, unbeaten submission wizard; Ricardo Lamas, imposing grappler and striker; Erik Koch, strike-first youngster with wrestling credentials; Chad Mendes, wrestler whose work ethic sparkles; Charles Oliveira, daring finisher whose guard could choke a mule; Cub Swanson, evolving and resurgent veteran; Dustin Poirier, cagey and polished in all areas; Dennis Siver, formidable kick boxer; and Hatsu Hioki, Japanese champ with UFC gold in sight. There’s plenty more worthy of mention, but you get it. A thick crop of talent is ripening.  

Another perk of the featherweight division: Small lightweights have found comfort in dropping down—ask Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. They were dwarfed by larger lightweights. Remember how each was rendered a mere plaything by Donald Cerrone? Now they’ve found sanctuary at 145.

 

Since the lightweight division is teeming with impatient beasts, we’ll keep seeing lightweights use the featherweight division as a restart button for their careers. I salivate at the buffet of cross-divisional fights within reason  (I’m waiting for you, Frankie Edgar). 

These are the formative years of 145. Aldo’s reign is clear, but the pecking order is a murky tangle beneath him. Time will clear it up—the division is still an infant. There are countless match ups yet to unfold between these dynamos; match ups I wish I didn’t have to wait for. 

Here’s to you, featherweights. Despite your stubby legs, you’ve come a long way in little time. 

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Jose Aldo: "Frankie Edgar Is Welcome at FW, So We Can Banish Him Back to LW"

With Jose Aldo as the reigning UFC featherweight champ, things wouldn’t be any easier for Frankie Edgar at 145-pounds.After suffering back-to-back losses to Benson Henderson, the rumor mill is buzzing about Edgar possibly dropping to the featherweight …

With Jose Aldo as the reigning UFC featherweight champ, things wouldn’t be any easier for Frankie Edgar at 145-pounds.

After suffering back-to-back losses to Benson Henderson, the rumor mill is buzzing about Edgar possibly dropping to the featherweight division, which could setup a super fight with Aldo.

Edgar is easily one of the best lightweights in the world, and many believe dropping to a more natural weight will increase his odds of winning another UFC title.

Unfortunately for Edgar fans, there are no increased chances against Aldo, who is widely recognized as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. It can even be argued that he’s a step up from Henderson.

Since bursting onto the WEC scene, Aldo has left the featherweight division in ruins. He is currently riding a 14-fight win streak, with eight of the victories coming by knockout.

At UFC 142, he quieted critics of his suspect ground game by stuffing every takedown attempt from grappling ace Chad “Money” Mendes and registering a first-round knockout.

Is Edgar “the answer” to the Aldo riddle?

The UFC champ recently spoke with Tatame.com about Edgar’s chances at 145-pounds.

“He has said he wants to get down to the feathers, so hopefully that happens soon to end [these rumors]. He is welcome in the category so that we banish him to the category above or below.”

This isn’t the first time a major lightweight star dropped weight for a shot at Aldo. Kenny Florian tried in October 2011, and things didn’t go so well for him. Less weight doesn’t necessarily mean more success.

Be careful what you wish for.

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Frankie Edgar Doesn’t Think Making 145 ‘Would Be Too Much of a Problem’

After losing a controversial split decision to UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at UFC 150 on Saturday, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar is finally seriously considering a move to 145 pounds. “I don’t think making the weight would be too …

After losing a controversial split decision to UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at UFC 150 on Saturday, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar is finally seriously considering a move to 145 pounds. 

“I don’t think making the weight would be too much of a problem,” Edgar said on Sherdog Radio Network’s It’s Time show with Bruce Buffer. 

“I don’t think I’d have to tweak much,” he said. “I probably would clean my diet maybe some. I like to eat fairly clean and I’m not a huge eater, so I wouldn’t have to change too, too much, but I’ll be honest: I think a lot of 145-pounders are probably bigger than me down at that weight class anyway.”

After consecutive losses to “Smooth,” fans and analysts are begging louder than ever for the New Jersey native to try out a lighter weight class better suited for his frame. 

Edgar, who has fought all 18 of his professional fights at lightweight, is considering the move but is far from making a concrete decision on the matter just yet. 

“Forty-five is a possibility. Fifty-five, I’ve been so successful and I would love to get a shot at the 155-pound belt again. Who knows? The 145-pound belt is definitely a prestigious belt to go after, especially with Jose Aldo at the helm of it all, but I’ve just got to really sit down and just discuss it with my team and my family and just make the right decision for myself.”

The former Clarion University wrestler shocked the MMA world by defeating BJ Penn in his prime at UFC 112 to capture the UFC lightweight belt. 

Despite the controversy, Edgar silenced his critics by beating “The Prodigy” much more convincingly at UFC 118. 

However, Edgar has gone just 1-2-1 since then, with both the win and draw coming against Gray Maynard. Edgar definitively ended their trilogy by knocking out “The Bully” at UFC 136. 

Is The Answer destined to dethrone featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo or does Edgar still have his best fights ahead of him at 155 pounds?

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Jose Aldo Might Move to Lightweight? Sign Me Up, Please

Jose Aldo is getting dangerously close to cleaning out the featherweight division.Part of that is due to Aldo’s utter dominance, of course. But it’s also due to the lack of big-name opponents available for the featherweight champion. Ricardo Lamas is p…

Jose Aldo is getting dangerously close to cleaning out the featherweight division.

Part of that is due to Aldo’s utter dominance, of course. But it’s also due to the lack of big-name opponents available for the featherweight champion. Ricardo Lamas is putting together a case for a title shot, but I can’t imagine that you’d be willing to throw down $60 to see that main event. The same goes for a potential rematch with Chad Mendes—we’ve already seen that dance once, and it didn’t end well the first time.

Chan Sung Jung is, at the moment, the most marketable opponent available for Aldo. But after that, what’s left? Not much, by my reckoning. 

That leaves one major question: How would Aldo feel about moving up to lightweight?

[Lightweight] was a big chance once (rumor), but now I’m focused on my division. Andre (Pederneiras) is the one to make this call, him along with Dana White and Joe Silva. If they think it’s best for me to fight on the lightweight division, I will. Otherwise, I will keep fighting here, where I’m the champion.

The thought of Aldo moving up to face the best at 155 pounds leaves me positively giddy.

Aldo vs. Benson Henderson? Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar? Aldo vs. Donald Cerrone? Or even Aldo vs. Nate Diaz? These are all fights that make the hardcore fan inside me scream out with excitement.

Aldo still has a bit of work to do at featherweight. He’ll face Erik Koch in the fall, and then perhaps a fight with Jung is up for discussion. But should Aldo win both of those fights, there just isn’t much left that’s all that appealing for him at featherweight.

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