Frankie Edgar may be nine of his career on the back burner, but he still has a lot of top-level effort inside him going to ESPN 15.
Edgar (23-8-1 MMA, 17-8-1 UFC), the former UFC lightweight champion and multi-time featherweight title challenger, drops to fist time Saturday in the bantamweight division as he Pedro Munhoz (18-4 MMA) , 8-4 UFC) in the main event, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is broadcast on ESPN / streams on ESPN +.
With his 38th birthday coming up in October, Edgar is currently sitting on a two-fight loose ski and has lost three of four. That has raised questions about whether this drip is a sign of despair, but Edgar sees it more as a proven point. He has been a top name at 155 and 145 pounds, and he thinks it would be telling if he could join a division like 135 pounds and immediately hit a top name in Munhoz
“I have a lot of questions about where I am in my career because I’m a little older,” Edgar told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during the UFC on Wednesday on ESPN 15 virtual media day. ‘I’m losing weight, and here are questions about my abilities. That’s why I want to get out, not anymore to prove someone else (wrong), but to prove to myself that I’m still a top dog in whatever weight class I fight in. “
Edgar has posted a drop to bantam weight over the past two years, but for some reason it has slowed down so far. He finally gets his chance and would become the 11th fighter in UFC history with a win to have his own wins in three weight classes.
That’s a nice fetter in his hat, but a bigger achievement would be first to fight for UFC belts across three divisions. He said he is realistic and knows that might not happen right away, but hitting one of Munhoz’s statues in his debut would be a promising step in the right direction.
“I just had to worry about winning my fight on Saturday,” Edgar said. ‘Winning has a way of taking care of things. Everything is possible. Everything I have done in my career always puts the opportunity there, and if they offer it to me I will take it.
“Pedro has been a stud in this weight class for a while; he has won over many of the best guys. I’ve been fighting the best guys since day 1 in the UFC, and I did not want this to change with this fighter. “
Edgar said Munhoz is the ‘perfect fight’ for him, which is why he wanted to stick with this matchup after a positive COVID-19 test for the Brazilian who postponed her from her previously scheduled date on July 16. Edgar decided not to take an opponent, and they managed to plan the fight as the main event.
Edgar’s only obstacle is making that limit to bantamweight for the first time. He will not be sure how smooth it was until all the weight is out, but before the middle of the fight week, he said the process is exactly as planned.
“It’s going well,” Edgar said. ‘It looks like ’45. I do not anticipate any problems. I’m not quite there yet, but it’s going smoothly if it can go. ”
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