Frankie Edgar: 'I'm a nightmare' for Conor McGregor, maybe that's keeping him away
Top-ranked featherweight contender Frankie Edger still hasn't gotten the call to face champion Conor McGregor yet and he's beginning to wonder why he's not receiving the shot he was promised after knocking out Chad Mendes at "The Ultimate Fighter" finale in December.
Edgar needed less than five minutes to put Mendes away, which secured his spot as the top contender in the division, but 24 hours later everything seemed to change when McGregor stopped Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds to become the undisputed featherweight king in the UFC.
Immediately after the fight McGregor started talking about going up to lightweight and rumors have persisted since then that there's a chance he may face Rafael dos Anjos for his next fight rather than face Edgar at featherweight. Edgar's frustration is understandable given the win streak he's been on lately while constantly stating that he's been the biggest threat to McGregor ever since he arrived in the UFC.
Ultimately, Edgar thinks that might be part of the reason McGregor is opting for a different matchups all together.
"I think it very well could be just how I match up with him," Edgar told FOX Sports about McGregor's reluctance to face him. "We've seen him deal with wrestling of Chad and I feel like my wrestling’s just as good if not better than Chad's and on the ground I have great top control and great ground and pound and I can do it forever.
"I really think I'm a nightmare for him. I don't know if that's keeping him away. Prove me wrong. Prove all the doubters wrong. Stroke that ego a little bit."
The scenario where McGregor goes up to 155-pounds to fight for the lightweight title would definitely be a huge moment for the sport considering a champion versus champion scenario has only played out once in UFC history, when B.J. Penn went up in weight to face Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94 in 2009.
While it wouldn't be a champion versus champion matchup, Edgar sees the stakes in his potential fight with McGregor just as high considering he's a former title holder at 155-pounds -- a belt he still believes he never actually lost if not for a couple unfortunate judges' decisions in title fights against Benson Henderson in 2012.
"I was the lightweight champion and I felt I never really lost that belt. Now he's the featherweight champion and he wants to go up to lightweight. It just makes sense," Edgar said. "Conor's hearing it. It's all over Twitter people telling him that I'm a tough matchup and Conor's got an ego.
"I'm hoping his ego wants to prove everybody wrong and that he is better than me. I want to prove everybody right."
In a separate interview earlier this week, Edgar said he was “pissed” about his current status as a title contender stuck in purgatory while waiting for McGregor and the UFC to figure out the next move for the featherweight champion.
Edgar has done everything in his power to land the fight with McGregor both inside and outside the Octagon, and he's willing to do even more if necessary.
Lately, Edgar has even turned to a little bit of trash talk to try and lure McGregor into the title fight. While that hasn't turned out well for many of McGregor's past opponents, Edgar has no problem allowing the outspoken Irishman to run his mouth so long as he gets the chance to shut him up when they finally meet.
"No matter what we have to fight. You can say anything you want," Edgar said. "You don't know me. I see the guy at press conferences like two times a year. He don't know me, I don't know him. He's not going to get under my skin. I'll go to Ireland and no one in Ireland is going to get under my skin. I have a job to do and that's to beat Conor McGregor."
One particular scenario where Edgar still gets the title shot could be McGregor going up to face dos Anjos first and then returning to featherweight later in the year to defend his title there as well.
Edgar will never turn down a chance to compete for the gold but more than anything else he wants the first crack at McGregor ahead of dos Anjos or anybody else because he's already been champing at the bit to tarnish the Irishman's sterling reputation inside the Octagon, and now he wants it more than ever before.
"I want to fight for that title and I want to fight Conor next. I don't want him to go up to 155, I don't want him to come back and fight me. I want to fight him next," Edgar said. "I don't want him to go up and vacate the title and I fight for the vacant title because I want to fight the guy that has the title.
"I think I'm the guy to beat Conor. I think our styles match up really well for me."
