UFC Manila: Frankie Edgar whoops Urijah Faber, provides 'Answer' to who gets next crack at featherweight crown

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Frankie Edgar went to war against ex-World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber in the UFC Fight Night 66 main event earlier today (Sat., May 16, 2015) on FOX Sports 1 from inside SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines (results and play-by-play here).

This was kind of like when (warning: 1983 alert) The A-Team was matched up against the SWAT Team.

Sure, you kinda had an idea of who was going to win, but it didn't make the fight any less dangerous. And when all was said and done, "The Answer" left the outskirts of Manila with a unanimous decision victory (complete recap here). To his credit, "The California Kid" was both quick and strong.

But Edgar was just a little bit quicker and when it mattered most, just a little bit stronger.

This little pit stop for the Toms River, NJ native reinforced what we already knew: He's the best candidate to fight the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, who square off in the UFC 189 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner on July 11, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada (more on that here).

You can argue that he already was, so turning away Faber is more of a feather in his cap as opposed to a sealing of the deal.

The Team Alpha Male captain was bumping up from 135 pounds, but brought with him a long list of accomplishments in the heavier weight class, and considering what Faber has done in non-title fights, being able to cruise past him is kind of a big deal.

Color me nostalgic, but I would have much preferred to see this fight take place in the old WEC, where the cage was smaller and provided a lot less room to negotiate.

But hey, that's just me.

I will say I was glad to see Edgar deliver, because taking the title from either "Junior" -- who already holds a win over "The Answer" -- or McGregor is going to be a pretty tall order. The Brazilian is one of the pound-for-pound best in all of mixed martial arts (MMA) and deadly on his feet.

Which means a "Notorious" win this July proves McGregor's hype is real, making him the new baddest MF at 145.

Bad enough to beat Edgar? We're going to find out later this year, barring injury to one or more of the above participants. The good news is, Chad Mendes is not far behind, particularly in the rankings, so there are still a handful of compelling match ups no matter who wins or loses.

Take a look into your crystal ball ... who do you see as featherweight champion in 2016?

I've got Aldo. Yes, still.