Mark Henry hopes pupil Frankie Edgar goes down to bantamweight
After Frankie Edgar lost to Max Holloway at UFC 240 for the featherweight title, many thought Edgar should move down to bantamweight. And, that is exactly what his coach, Mark Henry thinks.
“Sometimes he bites my hand, then I just walk away,” Henry told MMAjunkie. “Other times, he’ll sit there for a second, and I might get a different reaction. His family loves him, and I think they would like to see him fight guys his size. It’ll also make his career go longer because he loves what he’s doing.
“I think it will be a tough sell but, for me, it’s about taking the clearest path to the belt. Not only that, but he’s also fought pretty much everybody at featherweight, so bantamweight would be something new and fresh and exciting.”
Although Frankie Edgar has had success at featherweight, Henry would like to see him at least try bantamweight. There, he would have a better chance of getting another title shot, as at featherweight that path is blocked.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I haven’t been telling him to go down to 135 pounds,” Henry said. I’ve been talking to Frankie about it ever since the division was put into the UFC.
“I don’t see any timetable for Frankie, but at 145 pounds, it will take a long time to get back to a title shot, whereas it might not at bantamweight. Frankie doesn’t want to just fight; he’s all about the title, and so am I. Frankie still has that competitive drive burning in his heart.”
Regardless, Henry makes it clear it is up to Frankie Edgar on whether or not he will make the move to 135-pounds. But, if Henry had his way, the future Hall of Famer would have already been in that division a long time ago.
