5 biggest takeaways from UFC on ESPN+ 23: Concern for Frankie Edgar, more

What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 23 in Busan, South Korea? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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1. Frankie Edgar’s future unclear

It’s hard to assess Frankie Edgar after his TKO loss to Chan Sung Jung. He got hurt and stopped in the first round. But before the finish, he showed the trademark durability that’s given him a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in MMA history.

We’ve seen from Jung’s highlight reel that he’s one of the hardest hitters at 145 pounds, so losing to him via strikes isn’t exactly an indictment on Edgar. Many others have met the same fate, but because Edgar is 38 and had only been stopped by strikes once prior, the questions about how much he’s lost will come up.

There’s no doubt Edgar has endured a lot of punishment in his more than seven hours of UFC fight time, which is the most in company history. Perhaps the loss to Jung marked the beginning of a downward trajectory, but with Edgar being just one fight removed from competing for UFC gold, more evidence is still needed.

Edgar will likely make the drop to bantamweight next in a long overdue move. Whenever that does happen, a close eye will surely be kept on “The Answer.”