When this all started and Erik Koch was getting the next shot at Jose Aldo, the whole thing didn’t make any sense. Koch is a worthy opponent, but hasn’t done anything in the eyes of many fans to deserve the next shot at the featherweight title.
Unfortunately for Koch, he suffered a injury in practice, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the former Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Edgar, who is coming off back to back losses to current lightweight champ Benson Henderson, decided to listen to Dana White/fans and drop down to featherweight. Little did he know that his first fight at featherweight would be a title shot.
Like him or not, Edgar is a company man and even Jon Jones could learn something from “The Answer”. Edgar will have until October 13th to get ready for his title shot against Aldo and has proved when it’s time to step up, he is the man to go to.
“Obviously, we’ve had a rough couple of weeks here at the UFC, and then sure enough, I walk in to work today, and Erik Koch is hurt, But Frankie Edgar, being the stud and the warrior that he is, steps up and accepts this fight,” said Dana White. “I’m pumped,I think that people are going to be very excited for this fight. Frankie has had a tough go the last couple of times with the judges, but a lot of people think he belongs at 145 pounds. Well, here we go – Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar. People have been wanting to see this fight for a long time.”
This all started when Hatsu Hioki first turned down the shot at Aldo and then suffered a loss to Ricardo Lamas putting himself lower on the ladder. Chad Mendes is going through his issues with the law and it appears that Chan Sun Jung wasn’t even offered the fight with Aldo at UFC 153. So, what a better fit than Frankie Edgar?
The problem I see with this is, what if Edgar loses? I give Edgar a great deal of respect for stepping up to fight Aldo, but if he loses where will that put him? I’m not doubting Edgar, but it is something to think about. Edgar is coming off two straight title losses and if he loses to Aldo it will be three in two different weight classes.
I can understand Edgar dropping down to featherweight and I can even understand him stepping up and taking the shot early, I’m just not sure if it is the best move right now. His back is up against the wall, and the man that beat BJ Penn twice, had great wars with Gray Maynard, and took it to Ben Henderson, could possibly damage his legacy with a third straight loss to Aldo.
UFC 153 has definitely got more interesting with the loss of Koch and the addition of Edgar, but if Edgar loses, this could be the last time we talk about him in the title picture in any weight class. If he loses, I doubt we will ever see him at Bantamweight. So all you Edgar fans better hope he beats Aldo or at least gives him a good fight to maybe earn a rematch in the future because this could be Edgar’s last shot at a true legacy in the UFC.
Watch the video below as Frankie’s career highlights are shown chronologically throughout his UFC career.
VIDEO COURTESY OF THE UFC AND RavdenMMA
Either way, I am proud of Edgar stepping up, I just don’t want to see him ruin everything with a third straight loss. We all know either way, that the fight between Edgar and Aldo will be a good one for fans and probably a better match up than Aldo versus Koch and for that we say thanks Frankie.