Matt Brown: What The F–k Has Conor Done Compared To Frankie?
Mere seconds after Frankie Edgar put the finishing touches on a dominant victory over Cub Swanson in the main event of last Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 57 (November 22, 2014) from Austin, Texas, talk immediately shifted to whether or not “The Answer” would receive the next shot at longtime featherweight king Jose Aldo.
The choice comes down to Edgar and surging No. 5-ranked Conor McGregor; that is, if “Notorious” can get by Dennis Siver in the main event of Jan. 18’s UFC Fight Night 59 from Boston as most are picking him to do with relative ease.
MMA fans everywhere are torn down the middle on the subject, with a slight advantage going to Edgar given his decimation of Swanson, whom many believed had already earned a title shot. But Edgar already got his shot at Aldo at UFC 156, and although it was a very close fight, “Junior” emerged victorious.
He’s done the same to the rest of the featherweight Top 5, and McGregor, with his quick wit and electric personality, would be a new challenge in a bout that would undoubtedly be the biggest pay-per-view (PPV) spectacle in the short history of the UFC 145-pound division.
There is at least one man who doesn’t subscribe to that school of thought, however; as No. 5-ranked UFC welterweight Matt Brown is disgusted that there is even a debate as to who deserves the next shot. Speaking up on a recent episode of The Great MMA Debate Podcast, “The Immortal” offered a concise assessment of the featherweight landscape:
“I can’t even believe this is an argument. What the f–k has Conor done compared to what Frankie’s done? Frankie deserves it. Period.”
The outspoken Brown is never shy about voicing his true thoughts, but he may have a good point here. McGregor’s dominance aside, the only true top contender he’s beat was No. 6 Dustin Poirier, who, despite being a stellar featherweight, lost to Swanson in 2013.
Edgar has faced many of the top competitors at featherweight and lightweight, where he was an undersized champion for nearly two years. The only knock on “The Answer” is that he often let his fights come down to controversial decisions, a problem he’s clearly tried to fix with his newfound (and brutal) ground and pound.
There’s no doubt whatsoever that McGregor can sell a fight like no other thanks to his pre-fight hype and trash talk coupled with an already massive following. The same may not be true for an Aldo vs. Edgar rematch, but “The Answer’s” fanbase could be growing with his revamped finishing ability.
Still, the sky-high payday that Aldo vs. McGregor would garner will most likely be too tough to pass up for the UFC, which could potentially leave Edgar to face off with Ricardo Lamas or Chad Mendes for his awaited rematch with Aldo.
Either way, the fans win. But do you side with Brown on this hotly debated topic, or should Aldo face some new blood?
