Frankie Edgar is turning toward the bantamweight title after winning his divisional debut against Pedro Munhoz at UFC on ESPN 15.
Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC), the former UFC lightweight champion, made a successful drop down to 135 pounds from featherweight and edged out a split decision win over Munhoz (18-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) in their headlining bout, which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN.
It was a huge moment for Edgar, who turns 39 in October and had seemingly hit a dead end at 145 pounds in terms of title contention. He had to go through a grueling five-round fight on Saturday, but he got his hand raised and thought it was a message to those wondering if his prime is over.
“It’s good to be on the winning side,” Edgar said in his UFC on ESPN 15 post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “That was a hell of a fight. Pedro’s a stud. I heard a lot of MFers barking that I’m old, I’m slow. I definitely should’ve proved them all wrong. I still got some fight in this tank, baby, and we’re going to make a run at ’35.”
Edgar further entrenched himself in the UFC record books with his performance against Munhoz. Not only did he become the 11th fighter in company history to earn wins in three weight classes, but he became the first to earn “Fight of the Night” honors in three separate divisions.
Although some, including Munhoz, believe the decision should have gone the other way, Edgar was confident in his triumphant moment.
“He’s the No. 5, and that might put me in the top five in three weight classes,” Edgar said. “I’m showing I can compete with the best at 38 years old. I don’t want to hear nothing from anybody.”
The move down to bantamweight has been a long time coming for Edgar. He was first scheduled for it in January, but it has been delayed multiple times since. There’s been constant speculation since the UFC added the bantamweight class of how Edgar would do against fighters more equal to his physical stature.
After spending 25 minutes in the octagon with an established member of the division, Edgar said he sees the drop in weight as the answer to newfound success.
“(I felt) better than I was at the other weights,” Edgar said. “I didn’t carry any of the weight. … I just got my feet wet. I think the sky’s the limit for myself. I didn’t look slow in there. Pedro’s a top dog, and that makes me a top dog, baby. We back.”
Still doubt Frankie Edgar after UFC on ESPN 15 win? 'I don't want to hear nothing from anybody'
