UFC Fight Night 66 results recap: Frankie Edgar vs. Urijah Faber fight review and analysis

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and ex-World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber skirmished yesterday morning (Sat., May 16, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 66 inside the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines, on FOX Sports 1.

Since losing his 145-pound debut to champion Jose Aldo, Edgar has built up a solid win streak. Coming off a pair of truly dominant victories, Edgar hoped to earn a second chance against the Brazilian by capping off his streak with a win over the former featherweight titleholder.

On the other hand, Faber was simply looking for big fights, and Edgar is one of the biggest -- and best -- names in the sub-lightweight classes. In addition, "The California Kid" was looking to maintain his perfect record in non-title fights.

Ultimately, Edgar broke that streak (video highlights here).

Early on, the two fighters bounced around. Edgar looked to establish his jab and get his high volume attack going, while Faber attacked with some kicks and looked to time his opponent coming in. Both men landed with some solid right hands, but neither fighter took control.

Then, Edgar mixed it up with a takedown. As would become a pattern in this fight, regardless of what position Edgar landed in -- usually against the fence or in turtle position -- Faber was quickly able to stand back up. Still, it allowed Edgar to land some punches and control position.

Thanks to these exchanges, close rounds like this went to "The Answer."

Faber opened up the second round with a hard knee to the face that snapped his opponent's head back. In addition, he landed well with his left hand. Edgar came back with a sharp right hand of his own, and both men repeatedly scored in close exchanges.

With neither fighter committing to any takedown attempts, this was likely Faber's best round and the closest of the fight.

Edgar, however, turned it up in the third. Both men continued to land in exchanges, but Edgar was more successful with his wrestling. He was never able to really establish position, but he was able to control the fight for pretty long periods of the round while landing decent shots.

The fourth round was another fairly close round that leaned toward Edgar. The fighters exchanged body shots, and Faber continued to look for counter punches while Edgar continued his high-volume attack. Once again, Edgar's momentary takedowns and control gave him the edge, as it was a definitive moment for Edgar in a fight without many obvious momentum shifts.

In the final frame, it was clear that Faber was behind on the scorecards and needed to really ramp up his aggression. While the round was close, Faber was not able to hurt Edgar or land anything really significant. Edgar didn't use his wrestling all that much, so the round stayed pretty tight.

In the end, all three judges scored each round for the former lightweight champion. While the fight as a whole was quite close, Edgar had a clear edge in most of the individual rounds.

This was a big win for "The Answer."

It was an excellent performance for the New Jersey native, and it demonstrated what makes him such a great fighter. Between his wrestling, volume striking, and conditioning, Edgar was able to take control of the fight and capture close rounds.

On the strength of this win streak, Edgar deserves his title shot. He just defeated the division's former champion in a clear win and has a strong argument to scrap with the winner of Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, who fight at UFC 189 on July 11 in Las Vegas.

For Faber, this is a tough loss that is reminiscent of his title loss to Dominick Cruz. When faced with a volume striker, Faber will try to pick his spots and counter. He was able to counter "The Dominator" and hurt him multiple times, which kept the fight close enough that either man could have reasonably won the decision.

Though he landed some clean shots in this bout also, he was faced with an "Iron" chin.

After this defeat, it's difficult to see where Faber will go from here. If he stays at featherweight, a match up with Cub Swanson would be an excellent battle between WEC veterans.

At UFC Fight Night 66, Frankie Edgar likely earned a title shot by dispatching Urijah Faber. Can the New Jersey native earn another division title?

For complete UFC Fight Night 66 "Edgar vs. Faber" results and play-by-play, click HERE!