If you’re tired of seeing interim title fights, you’re not alone.
Frankie Edgar isn’t exactly enamored with the way the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is handling its titles. The former lightweight champion is seeing the word “interim” get thrown around more than he’d like.
“The Answer” appeared on today’s (Feb. 6) edition of MMAFighting.com‘s The MMA Hour. He expressed his discontent with interim belts:
“I just think they’re getting silly with these interim titles. It’s a little too much. They’re already taking Conor’s (lightweight) one away. I just don’t get it.”
The last time Edgar competed inside the Octagon was back in Nov. 2016 at the historic UFC 205 event inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Edgar’s opponent was 38-fight veteran Jeremy Stephens. Edgar earned the unanimous decision victory.
As far as what’s next, “The Answer” isn’t clear. Edgar isn’t opposed to making a bantamweight move, but if he does so, he wants a title shot.
“If they offered me a title shot, I wouldn’t be able to turn it down. But I’m not gonna go down there and fight a contender fight and do that, not while I’m as close as I am, I believe still, at 145. Especially since we don’t know what’s gonna happen. I don’t want to leave yet and sh*t gets figured out and I’m sitting here fighting in a 135-pound contender fight when I could have been fighting for a 145-pound title.”
After losing three straight bouts, all title fights, Edgar put together a five-fight winning streak. In that stretch, he finished three of his opponents. He beat Charles Oliveira, B.J. Penn, Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber, and Chad Mendes in that span.
The streak was halted in his interim featherweight title bout with Jose Aldo at UFC 200. It was “The Answer’s” first loss since Feb. 2013, which was also won by Aldo.
