Wrong ‘Answer’: Five Reasons Frankie Edgar Didn’t Get The Next Shot At Conor McGregor

When news broke last week (Thurs., Jan. 7, 2016) that featherweight champion Conor McGregor would be moving up to 155 pounds to take on champion Rafael dos Anjos for the title opposite Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate on the blockbuster UFC 197 card from Las Vegas (although it is now postponed), perennial featherweight contender Frankie Edgar was dealt the unfortunate situation he feared most.

On an impressive five-fight win streak capped off by his recent knockout of three-time title contender Chad Mendes at last December 11, 2015’s TUF 22 Finale, former lightweight champion Edgar was reportedly told by Dana White that he could no longer be denied, but those plans changed rather quickly (as they often do) when McGregor shockingly knocked out former longtime featherweight champ Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at December 12’s UFC 194.

It may not be officially confirmed by the promotion, but once it is, Edgar will be left out in the cold yet another time and forced to wait with baited breath for a potential shot at McGregor if and when he moves back to featherweight to defend his belt at UFC 200. Not surprisingly, ‘The Answer’ is deserving of his shot and understandably angry at what has transpired.

It’s most likely not fair, and the fight game can be a vicious industry at times. But the UFC obviously has their reasons for passing him over once again. Let’s examine just what they might be.

5.) His fights are perceived as ‘boring’:

The fact that many casual (and even some dedicated) MMA fans view Edgar’s fighting style as boring is certainly a motivating factor in why he was denied a title shot even if it is unwarranted and unfair.

Edgar has turned on the afterburners following his UFC 156 loss to Aldo, winning five straight with recent finishes of Mendes and Cub Swanson. He’s been anything but boring in his recent run, but a string of close and careful decision losses have lent him the false moniker of being a point fighter. You simply don’t knock out a three-time title challenger known for his own thunderous knockout ability without some significant stopping power of your own.

Nevertheless, Edgar’s two decision wins over BJ Penn, his draw with Gray Maynard, feud with Benson Henderson in 2012, and to a lesser extent, his decision loss to Aldo in early 2013, have seen him branded and perhaps even stigmatized as a high-volume fighter who looks to win on the judges’ scorecards. And that string of fights may also be a double-edged sword in why the UFC is reluctant to book him in another title fight. Find out why on the next page…

4.) He’s had his chances:

There’s no denying Edgar’s recent streak is deserving of a title shot; even White told him so after his win over Mendes. However, he’s seemingly far from getting the shot, and his past track record of fighting only in title bouts despite not winning a few of them may be a big reason another such match is difficult to come by.

He was given an immediate rematch with Henderson after ‘Smooth’ wrested the title from him in a close fight at UFC 144, and many still think he did more than enough to win the belt back in their second fight at UFC 150. But he lost a controversial split decision, so the UFC granted Edgar an immediate title shot against Aldo when he decided to cut down to featherweight as he had long been rumored to do.

He lost that fight and has been searching for his next title shot since. There’s no denying he’s deserving of the shot, but the UFC could be thinking that they don’t want to have Edgar lose or win another close decision and thus tie up their most popular fighter for a year sorting out the title picture.

McGregor wants to fight for both the featherweight and lightweight championships twice each this year, and a long rivalry with Edgar isn’t going to make that any easier of a scenario.

Is it fair? Probably not, but it might be how the UFC’s thinking looking forward.

3.) He’s not the biggest draw:

Building off of his unfair ‘boring’ moniker, Edgar has never been a pay-per-view draw, and much of that can be attributed to his technically perfect, smart, and risk-averse style in the cage.

But we know that isn’t the way to make your way into the head and hearts of bloodthirsty MMA fans who want nothing more than to see flash knockouts and bloody wars; something that the durable, elusive Edgar isn’t frequently involved with on either side of the story.

Lightweight champ dos Anjos is far from a big name draw himself, but it’s apparent that McGregor can drive events on his name power alone. Having him potentially hold two belts as the promotion’s first simultaneous two-division champ is a possibility that they simply can’t pass up because it would be one of the biggest moneymaking ventures they could acquire. Edgar knows this, admitting that McGregor’s drawing power allows him privileges no other fighter has in a recent spot with The LA Times’ Lance Pugmire:

“When you have that power he has — he brings in money for them — you can dictate a little more than others,” Edgar said. “Money talks. And when you bring in the money, I guess you can have more of a say.”

Comparing the two, Edgar isn’t enough of a driving force on his own to justify that risk, and that could be a main factor in why they chose to give McGregor his lightweight fight first. Again, it may not be fair, but Edgar just doesn’t bring in the same numbers in a numbers-driven business.

And it could all be because of this next reason…

2.) Charisma/attention:

It’s easy to see that Edgar has become decidedly more vocal outside of the cage just as he’s become more aggressive inside it in an effort to finally get his next title shot.

Problem is, it just isn’t working, and it also seems as if the cool, calm, and respectful Edgar may be stretching himself into an arena that he isn’t the most comfortable operating in.

No one will ever match McGregor wit-for-wit in the trash talking game (not even Chael Sonnen), but Edgar’s constant outcries for a shot have gone unanswered and are beginning to grow stale by no fault of his own. He wins a big fight, perhaps with a brutal finish, calls out for the shot, is denied, and repeats the process. It’s begun to see him unfairly labeled as a complainer to the same people called for him to be more vocal in order to get what he wanted.

He’s in a tough spot, and he’s never going to be a quick-witted smack talker with a slew of pre-written comebacks and insults to hurl at his potential competitors in the media. He’s just not that guy, and while he can’t be disparaged for who he’s not, that could be just what is holding him back right now.

1.) He might win and mess up all the plans:

The final and most poignant reason Edgar was passed over for the next shot at McGregor is the simple fact that he might defeat the Irishman and instantly end the historic ‘Notorious’ hype train in short order.

For all he’s accomplished in the Octagon, the loud power striker was taken down essentially at will by Mendes in the earlygoing of their UFC 189 contest. While McGregor ultimately prevailed by weathering storm and finishing Mendes with a late second round barrage, he was being controlled and blasted by elbows before the short notice challenger ran out of juice.

Arguably a better wrestler than his recent victim, Edgar has the much better gas tank and work rate. He never seems to stop going with his varied, accurate offense, and he is one of the toughest and most resilient fighters in the UFC. That spells a tough fight for the champ, and while McGregor could certainly finish off Edgar with his thunderous knockout skill at featherweight, ‘The Answer’ also probably has the best chance to grind out McGregor into the mat for an upset win, as well.

There’s also the financial aspect of the timing. His employers understandably want ‘Notorious’ in the Octagon as often as he’s willing. If he loses to dos Anjos, he can still fight Edgar for the featherweight belt at UFC 200, and even though it won’t be as big as it would have been, it will still be a success.

If he were to lose to ‘The Answer,’ selling the opposite scenario would be difficult because McGregor wouldn’t be viewed as deserving of an immediate shot at 155.

It’ll be a much bigger potential haul to have their biggest draw fight dos Anjos first, which could make him a much bigger superstar than he is already.

From a profit point of view, it’s much bigger than potentially having him neutralized and dethroned by Edgar. That fight will always be there, and maybe they’re hoping it will finally go away if Edgar somehow takes another fight and loses, albeit unlikely.

Overall, it may not be fair, but the UFC has so much invested in their new golden boy that immediately booking him to face stylistic nightmare Edgar isn’t their best current course of action.

Even if he deserves it.