UFC
UFC 150's Frankie Edgar: Being the "former" Champ "doesn't feel right"
Aug 6, 2012 - 8:15:35 PM UFC 150's Frankie Edgar: Being the "former" Champ "doesn't feel right"

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

This Saturday night, for the first time since April of 2010, Frankie Edgar will enter the Octagon without the title of "UFC Lightweight Champion." It's a distinction he still hasn't gotten used to, and entering his rematch with Ben Henderson, it's something he'd like to remedy.

"It definitely doesn't feel right," Edgar said of not being the Champion in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "Especially when people say 'former UFC World Champion.' You try not to put everything on world titles and what not, but being champ is nice."

"I think anybody that does anything, puts passion into what they do like myself, they want to be the best at it, and they want to be recognized as the best. Being a Champion you get all the accolades that come along with it."

He knows what it feels like to be held in that esteem, and he believes he's not yet done carving out his place in the sport's history. He wants to leave his mark, and he knows that holding the Title once again will help him do that.

"When you're the champ you're held in a different light, and that’s what I want," Edgar said. "I definitely want to leave my mark on this sport and the best way to do it is by being a Champion."

Penick's Analysis: This is a huge fight for Edgar. If he can reclaim his spot as the best lightweight fighter in the world, he'll become one of the most successful fighters in the UFC's history. He needs a decisive win over Henderson to re-stake that claim, but if history repeats itself that could be coming. After a draw with Gray Maynard he knocked him out in an immediate rematch. Before that, he had a massively convincing decision win over B.J. Penn after barely edging past him to capture the title in the first place. If he can turn around after a decision loss to score a convincing win, it will be as big a statement as he's made in the UFC.

[Frankie Edgar art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]