UFC
Frankie Edgar eyes being the Dan Henderson of the UFC's lightweight and featherweight divisions
Aug 28, 2012 - 5:45:38 PM Frankie Edgar eyes being the Dan Henderson of the UFC's lightweight and featherweight divisions

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar will drop to the featherweight division later this year, answering the call of many to see him in the 145 lb. division. However, he doesn't expect it to be a permanent move at all.

"I think it was just the timing of everything," Edgar said of the move in an interview with MMAWeekly.com. "Obviously the fight didn't go my way, the two fights, and maybe just a new landscape; it's something different down there. Not saying that I'll never got back to 155."

"I think big fights definitely interest me whatever weight class they're at, so maybe in the future who knows where else I could go, but it's just something I want to try for now."

After the success he had at 155 lbs., Edgar believes there is still a lot he can accomplish in both divisions, and wants to follow in the footsteps of fighters like Dan Henderson, who have made their names in more than one weight class.

"It's just another stage to my career," Edgar said. "I'm just trying to make the best of it I guess. I'm not cemented anywhere. You've got a guy like Dan Henderson who would fight 185 sometimes, 205 sometimes; if I could be that guy, that would be interesting too."

"There are good guys at 55, good guys at 45; I know fans are definitely interested in some fights. So there's plenty of match-ups possible... I always want to challenge myself and push myself to the limit. Being in the weight classes that I'm in there's always going to be good guys and good champions."

Penick's Analysis: Edgar's certainly got the talent and the skill set to become a two-division Champion. It's not an easy task, and to do so he may need to get past a man who has gotten by everyone he's faced in Zuffa in Jose Aldo. However, he's a fighter who absolutely could do just that; doing so would allow him to join the ranks of a very limited number of fighters to accomplish that feat. He'd be in great company, and it's the right goal for him to have at this stage. He's still got fighters he can face in both weight classes, and given the performance he had at UFC 150, he could still return to lightweight in the future and make a run at regaining that title as well.

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