Frankie Edgar: I have to finish Cory Sandhagen if I want UFC title shot

Frankie Edgar has new life at 135 pounds and knows what’s at stake when he faces Cory Sandhagen.

Former UFC lightweight champion Edgar (24-8-1 MMA, 18-8-1 UFC) meets Sandhagen in the co-main event of next week’s UFC Fight Night 184, which streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and he hopes to emerge as the next UFC bantamweight title challenger.

Edgar made his successful bantamweight debut in August, when he outlasted Pedro Munhoz in the main event of UFC on ESPN 15. The win snapped a two-fight losing skid, and “The Answer” has once again repositioned himself for another shot at gold.

“To me, this really could be a No. 1 contender fight,” Edgar told Mike Swick on the “Real Quick with Mike Swick” podcast. “He’s No. 2, I’m right behind him. Aljo (Sterling) and Petr Yan just got booked, I believe March 6, so it’s a perfect time. We fight the month before these guys; see what happens with them and then hopefully the winner of ours gets the winner of that.”

He continued, “Cory’s a tall guy, which is kind of good. I’m used to fighting bigger guys, so it’s not going to be anything new to me, but I can’t let him get his range going, I can’t stand at the end of his punches. I’ve got to either be all the way out or all the way in. Everybody knows that; it’s really no secret. I’ve just got to kind of have a gritty Frankie Edgar-type of fight and go do what I do and just make it happen.”

With hungry rising contenders such as Rob Font and former UFC champions T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo lurking, Edgar knows he’ll have to deliver a special performance over the highly touted Sandhagen (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) if he wants to cement himself as the No. 1 contender.

“The ’35-pound division is really hot right now,” Edgar said. “I’ve got to go in there and make a statement. I’ve got go in there and finish Cory if I want to get that title shot, and that’s what I’ve been working on this whole camp: Going in there, pressuring him, and really making him wilt in there and showing some experience. I have more experience than anybody in this game for the most part; not too many older fighters than me in the UFC right now, so I’ve got to utilize that to my best ability and make this happen.”