On Feb. 25, 2012, former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar was unsuccessful in his title defense against Ben Henderson at UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan. The bout was a five-round battle that should certainly go down as one of the most exciting fights of 2012, but a loss is a loss, regardless.
After Edgar fell short, many, including UFC President Dana White, felt that "The Answer" was for Edgar to move down to featherweight. White even went so far as to guarantee that he'd get an immediate title shot opposite current Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo.
Edgar appeared on Spike TV's "MMA Uncensored," where he admitted that a move to 145 pounds is inevitable, just not yet:
"I got nothin' against 145 (pounds). Will I make it there one day? Probably. You know? That's the truth. But, I just don't wanna go out on these terms. I felt like the fight was too close for me to just be like, 'Alright, I'm going down to 45,' you know?"
Edgar went on to talk more about his history as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and his choice to compete as a lightweight:
"You know, the reality is that when I first got into this, there was not 45, there was only 55. Actually, when I first started fighting, UFC didn't even have 55. So, when 55 came, that's where I fought. Then, I started doing well, and my record kinda speaks for itself. It is the plan, to eventually go down one day, just not now."
He hasn't made the move to featherweight yet, but in the event that he does, eventually, he'll probably be faced with having to go through Aldo. He expressed his thoughts on the current ruler of the 145-pound weight class, as well as how he thought a fight with "Scarface" would go down:
"I don't even know, especially since I have Ben, looming here, in the distance. Forty-five is a ways away. But, he's (Aldo is) tough. Just because you go down a weight class doesn't mean it gets any easier, especially when you're fighting a guy like Jose Aldo. He's got the power on these guys, but he's got the speed also. He presents a lot of problems."
For now, all of that is merely speculation and conjecture, as it was announced recently that Edgar would, in fact, get his rematch against Henderson. Edgar spoke about the process and conversations that went into getting the fight secured:
"Well, I had a meeting with Dana (White) again, yesterday in the city an that's when he told me I was getting the rematch. The process was that I expressed how I felt, that I felt I deserved the rematch. I wanted the rematch. I let Dana know and then I guess a lot of fans, a lot of supporters backed me up on Twitter, getting at Dana and Lorenzo (Fertitta) and they made the right choice."
Now that UFC 144 is in his rear view mirror, Edgar has had time to reflect on where he can improve. According to him, he's got a lot of work to do:
"You know, I'm just gonna do what I think worked for me, during the fight. I got months to prepare. I'm gonna go back to the drawing board and watch the fight with my team. They're more the game planners than I am. But, I'm sure they'll be some things we can pick apart, work on and get better. He did a good job of gettin' up. Obviously those are some things I can get better at and work on, but I don't wanna take anything away from him. He fought a good fight too. So, we'll see what comes around, next time."
During the interview, Edgar also said that he believes the fight will take place sometime in August of this year an that he hopes it will take place somewhere in the "lower 48."
What say you, Maniacs? Will Edgar fare better the second time around? Or are we likely to see a repeat of the original fight, ending with Henderson having his hand raised?
Sound off!
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