UFC News: Frankie Edgar all set to make Bantamweight debut
What's the story?
As revealed via Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Frankie Edgar will be moving down to Bantamweight for his next fight.
Edgar's manager Ali Abdelaziz told ESPN that the former Lightweight Champion has already spoken to the UFC regarding a jump down to the 135 lbs weight class. Edgar is targeting a return to the Octagon for the UFC 244 event which is scheduled to take place in November.
In case you didn't know...
Edgar started his career as a Lightweight fighter and tasted great success in the division. He won the title from BJ Penn and was involved in the critically-acclaimed series of fights against Gray Maynard back in 2011. He eventually lost the title to Benson Henderson before shifting to Featherweight.
Edgar made his Featherweight debut at UFC 156 in 2013 and took on Jose Aldo in a losing effort for the Featherweight Championship.
Edgar continued to fight in the Featherweight division and won eight of his 12 twelve fights at 145 lbs. At 37 years old, he contested for the Featherweight title last month against Max Holloway and lost via unanimous decision.
The heart of the matter
Edgar's head coach Matt Henry told ESPN that he had been advised to move to Bantamweight for a very long time. The Answer was finally on the same page and expressed his approval for the move to Henry through a text message.
"It feels like a new beginning for us. I love the kid, and I feel it will be safer for him at 135. He always does better when he fights guys his own size. When he's fighting guys with similar height and range -- sometimes they still weigh more than him, but I feel like it's an even playing field.
"He was barely cutting any weight at featherweight. I think during this last camp, he was 152 pounds a few weeks before the fight. And he hadn't started cutting yet," said Henry.
His manager, Ali Abdelaziz disclosed a tentative idea regarding his Bantamweight debut.
"We have already started discussing Frankie's bantamweight debut," Abdelaziz told ESPN. "We're hoping it will be at UFC 244 on Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden, but 100 percent Frankie's next fight will be at 135 pounds."
What's next?
Henry Cejudo is the reigning Bantamweight champion and requires credible title challengers. While Edgar will not be pushed into the title picture right away, 'The Answer' is a veteran who will eventually work his way up and get a crack shot at the gold. Edgar's dream of becoming a dual-weight champion lives on.