Possible fights for Frankie Edgar’s bantamweight debut
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Frankie Edgar is a future UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC lightweight champion. Yet, that was back in 2010 when cutting weight was not a huge aspect of the game. Since then, he dropped down to featherweight where he fought for the title — including interim — three times and lost all three.
He last fought for the title at UFC 240 where he lost to Max Holloway at UFC 240. It was a disappointing loss, and now according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Edgar will move down to bantamweight. The move down makes a ton of sense given he does not cut much weight, and would no longer have a serious reach disadvantage.
Now, the question of who he should fight in his bantamweight debut is up in the air. Although he has no fights at 135-pounds, he deserves to fight a ranked opponent given what he has accomplished.
Here are four possible options for his bantamweight debut.
Jimmie Rivera
Jimmie Rivera is currently on a two-fight losing streak after dropping decision losses to Aljamain Sterling and most recently, Petr Yan at UFC 238. Before that, he got back into the win column as he beat John Dodson after being knocked out to Marlon Moraes.
This fight makes sense for a bevy of reasons given the fact that Rivera does not have a fight booked. So they could do this fight in November as Edgar wants. He is also a big name who has been a top of the division and has entered the ‘gatekeeper’ status.
It would also be an interesting one, as the two match up very well stylistically. Edgar is an elite-level wrestler and has good striking, and likes to be the one to push the pace. Meanwhile, Rivera would no doubt want the fight to remain on the feet, but as evident by the Sterling fight, the wrestling style works to hurt Rivera’s gameplan. The winner, as well, would set themselves up for a top-five opponent next.
Cody Garbrandt
Cody Garbrandt is on a three-fight losing streak and has said he wants to return in November. The timing lines up for both guys, and it would be a very important scrap for both of them.
The former bantamweight champion has been knocked out three times before, where his chin has come into question. But, Edgar does not have serious knockout power as T.J. Dillashaw did, so we could see the best of “No Love” as he looked against Dominick Cruz.
For Edgar, he would want to use his wrestling to get the fight to the mat and start to frustrate Garbrandt. When the former 135-pound champ gets frustrated, that is when he gets caught. “The Answer” can then use his technical striking to piece up Garbrandt.
Or, Grarbrandt could show the world he took this time off to work on his game and be the old Cody Garbrandt that beat Dominick Cruz. Regardless, it would be a very interesting fight and one that would be on the main card of UFC 244.
Urijah Faber
How about a legend vs legend fight?
Urijah Faber returned to the UFC in a big way as he knocked out Ricky Simon in under a minute and said he wanted a title shot next. However, that seems unlikely given the fact that he is only ranked 15th in the division. But, him taking on Edgar makes a whole lot of sense.
Both Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber are wrestlers first and foremost and have very good cardio with underrated striking. They are very similar in terms of their game, and both are around the same size, as Faber has fought at 145-pounds before. If Faber wants a title shot, the UFC could tell him he needs to beat a legend like Edgar first.
In the end, it would be a massive fight for fans and a very interesting one to call.
Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz has not fought since he lost his title to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. He was dominated in the fight and injuries has plagued his career since then. Yet, he has talked about returning for quite some time, and a fight against Frankie Edgar could work for both of them.
They both need to a win at 135 to show they are top contenders. Cruz is still ranked highly enough that whoever won could be next in line for a title shot. It would be an interesting fight, as we don’t know how Edgar will look at bantamweight. Nor do we know how the former champion would look after coming back from a long layoff. But, they are some of the smartest fighters on the roster, so it would no doubt be a technical masterpiece. The two of them are also big enough names, they could be the co-main event, or be a feature bout on UFC 244. Who knows, they could even headline a Fight Night card later this year.
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The Scrap’s Cole Shelton is a full-time MMA writer for various news outlets. Make sure to follow Cole on Twitter (@ColeShelton91) for a variety of content.
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