Frankie Edgar Reveals Why He Took Korean Zombie Fight

There were a number of reasons why Frankie Edgar decided to step in on short notice to face The Korean Zombie later this month.

Edgar will replace Brian Ortega and face Zombie in the main event of UFC Busan on December 21. That means his bantamweight debut will have to wait for now as he was originally scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen in the co-headliner of UFC Raleigh next month.

So why did “The Answer” decide to step in despite having another fight booked?

“I heard that [Brian] Ortega was hurt and I went to my team and I touched base and I said if you need someone, I’m available,” Edgar told MMA Fighting. “I feel like I was ready. My team liked the fight. Lately, I’m just about experiences and this is a good experience to have in my life. I’ve done a lot in this career. I’ve never taken a fight on two weeks’ notice across the country, so why not add that to the repertoire.”

Another factor was the fact that Edgar was supposed to face Zombie in the UFC Denver headliner last year. However, he had to pull out due to an injury at the time.

“It played a part,” Edgar added. “I felt like we were very familiar with him. We were so close to fighting just a year ago so it wasn’t that far off. We were supposed to fight and I want to right that wrong.”

One person who obviously didn’t like the news was Sandhagen. Edgar sympathizes with him but believes they’ll eventually meet down the road:

“It sucks. That’s the breaks,” Edgar said about Sandhagen. “I’ve definitely been disappointed in this game quite a bit myself. I’m sure I’ll meet him down the road if not in January.”

What do you think of Edgar taking the fight on short notice?