White: Frankie Edgar deserves shot at winner of Aldo vs. McGregor
Dana White: “When Frankie came downstairs, I said, ‘nobody can deny you now. Not me. Not nobody.’ … Frankie really, really, solidified himself tonight as the guy.”
Frankie Edgar crushed Chad Mendes Friday night in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale. When Jon Anik approach with a mic, Edgar did give the stock (and worhtless) “I fight whoever they tell me” reply.
Edgar knew exactly what he wanted.
“Three finishes in my last five fights,” said Edgar to Anik, as transcribed by Michael Stets for MMAMania. “I don’t know why Dana is not here. I guess he didn’t want to see … He knows he didn’t’ want to disappoint me. Come on, you got to give it to me.”
In a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani on the FOX Sports 1, Edgar said he got what he wanted.
“I just got out of the room with Dana and I got good news,” said Edgar. “He says I got it.”
“I mean … Nothing is in stone. I know this business. He seemed pretty happy. I walked out of there even happier, so yeah, I think we are in the right direction.”
Edgar doesn’t care who he fights, Conor McGregor or Jose Aldo.
“I don’t care man — it’s the belt,” he said. “I originally said I wanted to be the guy to take it from Aldo, especially since I had a tight, tight loss to him. McGregor is a big money fight, so I feel like I can’t go wrong either way.”
And White reiterated Edgar’s understanding of the conversation.
“When Frankie came downstairs, I said, ‘nobody can deny you now. Not me. Not nobody,'” said White. “Everybody believes they are ready for the title shot and they deserve it and Frankie is one of those guys. Frankie really, really, solidified himself tonight as the guy.”
In a final potential twist, if McGregor beats Aldo, he may move up to lightweight, which would mean a fight between Edgar and Aldo, regardless of who wins Saturday night.
