Can Frankie Edgar beat top UFC bantamweights
Nine title fights in the UFC over two divisions, this has been the story of Frankie Edgar. The former lightweight champion has entertained the fans with some of the greatest fights in UFC history. Who can forget his wars against Gray Maynard? Who can forget how he dominated BJ Penn to be the UFC lightweight champion?
However, it seems the best days of Frankie Edgar are behind him as he begins his bantamweight journey. Edgar takes on ranked number 5 bantamweight, Pedro Munhoz in the main event of next fight night. Though the fans are excited to see Edgar compete they are not too thrilled with Edgar's move to bantamweight.
Frankie Edgar has had some bad losses in the featherweight division. He got knocked out by Brian Ortega in devastating fashion. He took a lot of punishments in the title fight against Max Holloway. And he was finished badly by the Korean Zombie in his last fight.
Frankie Edgar had three losses in the featherweight division. And he lost in all the title fights. He lost to Jose Aldo twice. And after the loss to Max Holloway, it was difficult to make an argument for another title shot at featherweight division if you are Frankie Edgar.
Will Frankie Edgar become a bantamweight champion?
And that's the reason he moved down to bantamweight. He competed in the lightweight division early in his career. But Edgar can't compete with the current top UFC lightweights in the world. However, Edgar's bantamweight journey is likely to be unsuccessful.
The fights with Gray Maynard, TKO losses against multiple UFC featherweights have taken a toll on Frankie Edgar. And cutting an extra 10 lbs to compete against Pedro Munhoz is not going to help Edgar. Over time, his chin has become a suspect. And it's hard to see him winning against bantamweights such as Petr Yan, Marlon Moraes, or Aljamain Sterling.
Frankie Edgar's wrestling has been a big problem for his opponents. However, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Edgar dominates Aljamain Sterling or Petr Yan on the ground. Edgar won't have an easy time taking Marlon Moraes down too. In fact, his next opponent, Pedro Munhoz is a wizard when it comes to grappling.
Frankie Edgar might get a few wins in the bantamweight division before he hangs up the gloves. However, it's very unlikely that he will be the champion in the bantamweight division.
We saw Jose Aldo's compete against the top bantamweights in the UFC. Jose Aldo lost the fight to Marlon Moraes and got destroyed by Petr Yan. Though both of his fights were competitive, Aldo's move to bantamweight did not really work out in his favor. And that's what is likely to happen for Frankie Edgar.
Frankie Edgar's bantamweight move certainly looks exciting but it's not going to end on a good note.