Coach: Edgar wants to be three div champ
Jon Anik: “I talked to Mark Henry in Saskatoon. Frankie Edgar doesn’t want to be a two-division champion, he wants to be a three-division champion.”
On the latest edition of “The Jon Anik and Kenny Florian Podcast,” it was revealed that former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar could be heading to 135 pounds sooner than later.
“I talked to [Edgar boxing trainer] Mark Henry in Saskatoon,” said Anik as transcribed by David St. Martin for MMAFighting.com. “Frankie Edgar doesn’t want to be a two-division champion, he wants to be a three-division champion. I think internally he feels, and even though I don’t agree with this, that maybe it would be a cop out if he went right down to 135 and challenged [bantamweight champion] T.J. Dillashaw as he waits for a bantamweight contender to get healthy.
“I think he wants to win this belt at 145 and then maybe go to 135 before calling it a career. I just think given the backdrop of Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo and the likelihood that those two guys are going to fight twice in a row here, I just think it’s going to be a long wait for Frankie Edgar. Now to have to get through Chad Mendes on Dec. 11, I think it’s a huge ask.”
“He was the champion at 155 pounds and he feels like if he goes all the way down to 135 pounds people are going to say, ‘Oh, he’s just trying to take the easy route.’That’s just not the case. Frankie can maybe be the champion at 145, but here’s the good scenario: If he does lose to Mendes, he has that 135 pound option. He can go down to 135.
“He can make 135, easy. I had that same conversation with Mark Henry and he said, ‘He can make 135, Kenny. He walks around at 150 if he’s training a lot.’ He’s right in there. He can challenge Dillashaw. He can challenge Conor or Aldo. It’s unbelievable what he’s done.”
Frankie Edgar faces Chad Mendes on Dec. 11 in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada.
