After losing a unanimous decision to Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 240, Frankie Edgar‘s future as a featherweight doesn’t look bright. Edgar has been competing at 145 lbs since 2013 and has received three title shots in that timespan, losing twice to Jose Aldo and once to Holloway. Now 37, it seems extremely unlikely that he will ever get another title shot in the UFC featherweight division again. Moving back up to lightweight isn’t an option for Edgar either,
not if his goal is to become a UFC champion again. Yes, he was the lightweight champ from 2010 to 2012, but 155 was a much different animal back then. There are too many bigger, younger, and more talented fighters ruling the lightweight world these days. Stepping up a weight class, at this point wouldn’t be the right move. Instead, Edgar should try his luck at dropping down in weight and going to the bantamweight division.
135 pounds is somewhat open right now. There is no clear #1 contender for champion Henry Cejudo. There are guys like Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan who are top contenders, but don’t move the needle. If a 40-year-old Urijah Faber can join the ranks of title contenders at bantamweight with one knockout win over Ricky Simon, then there’s no reason Edgar can’t as well. The UFC needs big fights at bantamweight, and Cejudo vs. Edgar is a big fight.
Against Holloway, Edgar looked undersized, and even if he won the belt, he would have been smaller against guys like Alexander Volkanovski, Brian Ortega, and Zabit Magomedsharipov. And at lightweight, he would look like a midget next to much bigger fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, and Dustin Poirier. At 135 lbs, however, Edgar would be able to match the stature of his opponents. He would stand a much better chance of winning a title down at bantamweight where he wouldn’t have to overcome the substantial size disadvantages he would face at 145 or 155.
Then again, Edgar is getting up there in age, and cutting weight does not get easier as you get older. So moving down in weight would certainly not be easy for Edgar to do. But it’s possible, and for his part, Edgar has said in the last couple of days that he’s considering a move down in weight. He needs to take time off after this loss to consider his future. But once he does, I believe that he will make the decision to try to move down a weight class. In my opinion it’s the right call for “The Answer” if he wants to continue to pursue UFC gold.
Frankie Edgar has already solidified his legacy as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time, and he doesn’t need to win another belt in order to prove that. The day he retires is the day the UFC tells him he’s headed to the Hall of Fame. But Edgar is the kind of guy who is always striving for more. The former UFC Lightweight Champion tried three times to win the featherweight championship and that didn’t work out, so now he should drop down another weight class and try his luck at bantamweight. If he wants to win another UFC title, this is Edgar’s best chance to do so, and I believe it’s a gamble he’s willing to take.
 UFC 240 • Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar (UFC Featherweight Championship): Max Holloway def. Frankie Edgar via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 48-47). |
 UFC 240: Holloway vs. Edgar took place July 27, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
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