Frankie Edgar dropping down to bantamweight division
Former UFC lightweight champion and most recently featherweight title challenger Frankie Edgar is making a drop down in weight once again in his career. According to Edgar’s coach Mark Henry and his manager Ali Abdelaziz who first spoke to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, the plan for Edgar to drop down to bantamweight has already been told to the UFC, and Edgar’s team is targeting his division debut for November at MSG.
In a statement to ESPN, Abdelaziz spoke about the decision for Edgar to drop down, saying no matter what, his next fight is at bantamweight.
“We have already started discussing Frankie’s bantamweight debut. We’re hoping it will be at UFC 244 on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden, but 100 percent Frankie’s next fight will be at 135 pounds.”
Frankie Edgar’s longtime coach Mark Henry also spoke to ESPN about the move, saying it is a move he loves for Edgar, and one that could bring safer fights for Edgar’s future.
“It feels like a new beginning for us. I love the kid, and I feel it will be safer for him at 135. He always does better when he fights guys his own size. When he’s fighting guys with similar height and range — sometimes they still weigh more than him, but I feel like it’s an even playing field.
He was barely cutting any weight at featherweight. I think during this last camp, he was 152 pounds a few weeks before the fight. And he hadn’t started cutting yet.”
Frankie Edgar has been in the UFC since 2007 and became the lightweight champion with his win over B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in 2010, and he would then go on and defend his title three times including one draw against Gray Maynard. Edgar would then go on to drop down to the featherweight division where he would challenge three times for the title, twice against Jose Aldo, and once in his most recent fight at UFC 240 against Max Holloway.
Edgar dropped the fight to Holloway by unanimous decision and was asked about a drop down to bantamweight in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, where he had not been able to give a firm answer following the fight, but proclaimed to have plenty more fight left in him.
"I'm not done. I got a lot of fight in me, man. Max is the best guy in the world and I fought him pretty damn tough."@FrankieEdgar handles a tough post-fight interview with class pic.twitter.com/bFKTjc5U8N
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 28, 2019
There’s been no word from the UFC or Dana White about Frankie Edgar’s drop down to bantamweight but his team feels this is the best move for him, and fight news should be following in the near future.
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With bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo currently on the sideline due to surgery, Edgar’s arrival in the bantamweight division could shake up the title picture in his new division.
