While Conor McGregor is busy taking over multiple weight classes, Frankie Edgar is considering shifting to a new division himself.
The former UFC Lightweight Champion moved down to 145 pounds in early 2013 after losing his title and a subsequent rematch to Ben Henderson. The moved proved to be successful for Edgar who has won six of eight fights in the division with his only losses coming in championship bouts to Jose Aldo. But with two losses to the current interim champion and with McGregor possibly never returning to 145, Edgar may be setting his sights on the Bantamweight Division.
In an interview with MMAJunkie, Edgar said that he will wait for the result of the upcoming Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt championship fight and then decide if he’d be willing to make the extra cut. While leaning towards staying at 145, he wants to keep his options open.
“I don’t know, man. We’ll see what I say tomorrow,” he said. “Right now, it’s 145. Cruz has a fight ahead of him. We’ll see what happens in that one and maybe make a choice after that.”
A fight between Cruz and Edgar would be a dream match of sorts between two lighter weight fighters formerly 20 pounds apart, but now there’s a glimmer of hope it could happen if Edgar doesn’t see a future for him at 145.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: I normally don’t advocate for fighters to cut more weight, especially in modern times with no IVs for rehydration, but there is something appealing about Edgar at 135. It’s easy to see why the move is appealing to him. His options are limited at 145 other than playing a gatekeeper role so a move to 135 may provide a faster track to a title shot than 145 and he may be outsized at 155, plus teammate Eddie Alvarez is still near the top of that division. Should Edgar move down to 135, he should probably have at least one non-title fight at the weight to ensure he can make the weight safely and still perform at a high level. That said, I think Edgar should stay at 145 and see how things play out with McGregor and Aldo as a hole could open up at the top of the division if McGregor doesn’t come back and with Aldo being a wild card right now.
TUESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-Zubaira Tukhugov is out of his Dec. 9 bout with Tiago Trator due to a potential USADA violation. UFC is looking for a replacement to fight Trator at the event from Albany, New York.
-Anthony Pettis told TMZSports.com that he wants fights with Conor McGregor for both the 145 and 155 pound championships, telling TMZ cameras,”If he stays fighting, I’m coming for the 145 pound strap AND that 155 pound strap.”
-Team Alpha has sent MMATorch a press release regarding a new partner in their new training facility. Press Release excerpt: “Last week, Team Alpha Male announced the building of their new Team Alpha Male/Ultimate Fitness training facility. This week, TAM is proud to announce that Everlast will be partnering with them to build out a fighter development center that will be powered by Everlast.”
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: MONDAY NEWS DIGEST 11/14: Nate Diaz makes sure people are talking about him coming out of UFC 205 (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
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