Frankie Edgar Eyes Fights With Cub Swanson, Chad Mendes & Urijah Faber
Former UFC lightweight champion and surging featherweight contender Frankie Edgar completed the triple over BJ Penn at The Ultimate Fighter 19 finale; putting an end to their storied rivalry, and also to the epic career of ‘The Prodigy’. With the trilogy in the books, ‘The Answer’ could have a very bright future at featherweight.
A lot of the chatter surrounding Edgar’s next opponent has focused on fellow 145-pounder Cub Swanson. The So-Cal native has been on a six-fight tear in the featherweight division, and has talked about fighting Edgar in the past. Speaking with Bloody Elbow, ‘The Answer’ discussed the potential for an interim title fight:
“Either one, really. I guess it would be Chad, though, since he was in line for the title shot. The fight was already lined up. I’d say Chad would be the guy, assuming that the other guy would be me. It might not even be me, who knows. I want to fight either of those guys (Mendes & Swanson), whether it’s interim or not interim, because they’re the path to the title. To be honest, the interim title is nothing to me. I want a real title, but if it does take fighting for an interim belt, I’m all in. “
Never one to shy away from a challenge, and eyeing two very high ranked opponents, Edgar could well be on his way to a second shot at the featherweight title. Whether Aldo still holds the belt by that time is yet to be seen, but Edgar’s brutal TKO win over BJ Penn indicates he is ready to make another run. Edgar then moved on to the possibility of fighting Urijah Faber:
“135 might be a stretch, but I think I could do 140. I probably could make 135, but I don’t know how well I would perform or how my body would feel. 140 is much more ideal for me, and if the right situation arises, I could see that (Urijah Faber) fight happening. I’m probably around 157. I walk around at 160 “
So many intriguing fights lie in wait for the former lightweight champion, and all have serious title implications. What do you think, will Edgar ever taste title glory again, or will hungry contenders like Swanson, Mendes or Faber be too much for ‘The Answer’?
