Just over a year ago, Frankie Edgar competed for the UFC featherweight title for the third time. Just days away from his 135-pound debut, the New Jersey resident has something to prove as he prepares for Pedro Munhoz in the UFC at ESPN’s 15 main event.
While Edgar has been at the top of the rankings in both lightweight and featherweight rankings for more than a decade, he has a 1-3 record in his past four fights, including suffering a few knockouts in the hands of Brian Ortega and ” The Korean zombie “Chan Sung Jung”, many have envied whether “The Answer” can cast doubt on his own future in the sport.
Therefore, the 38-year-old veteran is ready to silence the doubt while proving to himself that he is still at the top of his game when he fights on Saturday night.
“I know a lot of people ask where I am in my career,” Edgar told MMA Fighting during the UFC on ESPN 15 media day. ‘I’m a little older. I’m coming down in weight class. People here ask questions about my capabilities.
‘I want out, more to prove to everyone else [wrong], but to prove to myself that I’m still a top dog in whatever weight class I fight in. ”
As much as Edgar might want to be envious of everyone’s curiosity about his future with this fight, the one thing no one ever asks him is his willingness to tackle the best of the best in every division in which he fights.
Four of Edgar’s past seven opponents have been ex-champions in the UFC title race. The rest on that list are top-10 ranking competitors.
Munhoz is no different, as he steps into this fight as the No. 5 ranked bantamweight in the world.
Edgar was originally scheduled to face Munhoz in July, but her fight was postponed after the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Abu Dhabi on board. Instead of a replacement with short notice, Edgar chose to wait on Munhoz because he understood that the reward for this fight was far greater than the risk he would take to accept a challenge from everyone else.
“I noticed some fighting, brief changes from opponent. It didn’t always work out the way I wanted it to,” Edgar explained. ‘I learned from some mistakes in the past, I think you can say that, and I said we’ll just wait.
‘We were rebuilt a month later, it really is not that big of a deal. I just feel like I had more time to prepare. More time to feel like I could make this weight and it all worked out. ”
With a 7-2 record in his past nine fights, Munhoz has proven to be one of the best 135-pounderers in the world.
Edgar would love nothing more than to defeat him in his bantamweight debut and take the position that Munhoz has earned through the resume he has built up over the last few years.
“Pedro has been a stud in this weight class for a while. He has some big wins then some really good guys, ‘said Edgar. ‘A win will put me in the direction I want to be. It will put me in a position I want to be.
“I’ve been fighting one of my UFC careers against the best guys since day one. I do not want to change that. Pedro was the man who made the most sense to me. ”
A win would likely put Edgar right back into the thick of the chase for the title, as he seeks to become a two-division champion after previously ruling over the lightweight division.
Not as much as that would mean for him, Edgar thinks of nothing but beating Munhoz and once that work is done, he will think about the future.
“I was just worried about winning my fight on Saturday,” Edgar said. ‘Winning has a way of taking care of things. If I do, anything is possible.
‘What I have done in my career, I always knock on the door, I have always given opportunities to myself. When it comes down to it, of course, I jump on it. ”
