Frankie Edgar: The only way I'm going to get noticed is by performance
Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar understands why Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor are getting more promotion and attention ahead of their fight this weekend, but he would certainly enjoy getting a little bit of the spotlight too.
After all, he might be the man most likely to knock off the winner.
Edgar has been on a tear lately, with four consecutive wins, including finishes over Cub Swanson and UFC Hall of Famer B.J. Penn and victories over highly touted featherweight Charles Oliveira as well as former WEC champion Urijah Faber.
Still, Edgar would be remiss if he didn't admit there was a little bit of frustration from the lack of promotion he seems to receive, especially with his upcoming fight Friday against Chad Mendes possibly crowning the next No. 1 contender at 145 pounds.
"The only way I'm going to get myself any notice at all is by my performance," Edgar told FOX Sports. "The UFC is definitely not going to give us any play. It's all about Aldo and McGregor, I'm not a dummy. It's kind of been that way for a while. I've got to let my performance speak for my case I guess.
"The UFC hasn't done much to promote any of my last fights, it seems like, compared to what they've got going on for Aldo and McGregor. I get it, a lot of people want to see it, and they are definitely building it up."
Edgar isn't jealous or envious that Aldo and McGregor, who will meet in UFC 194 on Saturday, are getting the lion's share of attention, but it just fortifies the notion that if the New Jersey native is going to get noticed he will have to do it the old fashioned way -- through grit and determination.
Based on performance alone, Edgar should probably be the person in the forefront of both Aldo and McGregor's mind when asked about what comes next after UFC 194 is over, but he intends to remind everyone why he's at the top of the food chain with his performance against Mendes.
"I think I'm doing it myself. I don't think they're helping me out too much," Edgar said. "I haven't been the champ in a while and maybe that's the case. I don't mind doing it myself. It's my 10th main event. I keep putting myself in front of these people and I keep putting on great performances. People are going to want to watch me fight."
Edgar knows the task ahead of him this week is a big one, but that's why he spends hours upon hours in the gym getting prepared to face a fighter the caliber of Mendes in the Octagon.
While Edgar has faced a few close defeats in his day, he can proudly say no fighter has ever broken him and he doesn't plan on allowing Mendes to be the first. Edgar is regarded as one of the toughest fighters on the entire roster and he plans on showing the Team Alpha Male fighter this weekend who really is the top featherweight contender in the world.
"I train to not be broken," Edgar said. "It's not something you can come up with on fight night like 'I'm going to be tough tonight.' I try to be tough every day in every single workout. It just becomes habit-forming and that's the way I've been since day one.
"I feel like I'm at my peak. I say this all the time -- I'm getting better. This camp, I feel like I've improved and I've gotten better since the last fight. I think that's what I do every time. I add something or I get better at something and I do that every camp. I plan to peak even more. I think I'm a hard out for anybody. I'm ready to go Dec. 11 and hope and pray to the MMA gods that I get that title shot."
On paper it seems like a lock that Edgar would get the winner of Aldo and McGregor if he gets past Mendes this weekend, but then again he's heard that before.
Earlier this summer when Aldo suffered an injury and was forced to pull out of his fight with McGregor at UFC 189, it was Mendes not Edgar who got the call to step up on short notice for the main event. Edgar was noticeably frustrated by the snub, so he's not getting his hopes up about a title shot until the contract comes across his table to sign.
"A win over him there should be no other question at that point," Edgar said. "My last four fights I've been dominant in all of them, I may not have lost a round in any of them. Even against a guy like (Urijah), who is one of the best there's ever been in the lighter divisions, to blank him and then finish B.J. (Penn) and finish Cub (Swanson) and blank a guy like Charles Oliveira, I think I'm right there. I think I'm better than last time. I'm ready to go."
If all goes well against Mendes on Friday, Edgar would love nothing more than to be planted in the front row to watch Aldo and McGregor on Saturday and then challenge the winner in 2016.
"I hope to be (there)," Edgar said. "I hope they're not stingy with the tickets. If they've got a ticket for me, I'll be there."
