UFC/MMA News: Frankie Edgar's manager responds to Conor McGregor's claims

What's the story?

Frankie Edgar's manager Ali Abdel-Aziz responded to Conor McGregor's claims on offering to fight Edgar at UFC 222. Abdel-Aziz lashed out at McGregor, saying that the latter did everything in his power to avoid fighting Edgar.

In case you didn't know...

McGregor took to his Instagram on Thursday to make a rather surprising claim that he offered to fight Frankie Edgar at the UFC 222 pay-per-view when the current featherweight champion Max Holloway pulled out of the fight.

The Irishman mentioned in the post that he "was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight", referring to Edgar, and demanded the respect and credit that he apparently deserved.

I am fighting again. Period. I am the best at this. I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out, but I was told there wasn't enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need. I was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight, without all the rest of the stuff that comes with this game. Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in. On top of the fighting. I am here. It is on them to come and get me. Because I am here. Yours sincerely, The Champ Champ™

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on Feb 22, 2018 at 11:58am PST

The heart of the matter

Upon learning of McGregor's claims, Frankie Edgar's manager Ali Abdel-Aziz certainly didn't hold back with his words, comparing the Irishman's ways with those of a prostitute.

Let me tell you about Conor McGregor. He's like a prostitute who used to make high-dollar money, but she got old and nobody wanted her anymore. - Abdel-Aziz said.

The truth is @TheNotoriousMMA is a prostitute 👊🏿
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) February 22, 2018

Abdel-Aziz went on to say in the interview that "The Notorious One" dodged Frankie Edgar for years and decided to fight Chad Mendez instead.

This f*cking guy. For three years, he did everything he can not to fight Frankie Edgar. He was supposed to fight Frankie Edgar, and he chose Chad Mendez coming off a loss.

He had so many opportunities. Now he wants to fight Frankie? That's funny! - Abdel-Aziz exclaimed.

The irate MMA manager went on to reveal that when Max Holloway got injured, he reached out to the UFC to ask if McGregor would step in to face Edgar. And he apparently got a response that it seems like an uphill task to make McGregor fight in his own division, and he certainly wouldn't volunteer to fight Edgar.

Abdel-Aziz then dismissed McGregor's claims as a publicity stunt and said he is scared to fight Edgar.

I don't care if Frankie is 50 years old. Frankie can be 50 years old and beat the sh*t out him and the entire nation of Ireland.

He can't beat Frankie. He can wait till Frankie is 60; Frankie will still beat his a*s. - Abdel-Aziz concluded.

What's next?

Frankie Edgar responded to the news with a tweet of his own.

This is the truth. My focus is on Ortega and they all can get it after. Anytime, anywhere, any weight class 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 https://t.co/zUDeEa79Bk
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) February 22, 2018

Edgar will now face Brain Ortega in the co-main event at UFC 222, which is slated to take place on March 3, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Nevada.

Abdel-Aziz has also proposed a bout between Edgar and McGregor in June.

Author's take

It will be interesting to see how "The Notorious One" responds to Abdel-Aziz's remarks. Mystic Mac sure works in mysterious ways, and we'll just have to wait and see how this story develops further.