Frankie Edgar wants Cub Swanson for his next fight
Following a three round drubbing over B.J. Penn at the TUF 19 Finale, Frankie Edgar is looking towards his next fight and he's asking for the fighter directly in front of him in the official UFC rankings.
Edgar was informed after his win over Penn that he was ranked No. 3 in the world, which surprised the former lightweight champion because he thought he was ranked No. 2. As it turns out Cub Swanson leap frogged him into the No. 2 spot after defeating Jeremy Stephens, so that sounds like a good fight to Edgar.
The New Jersey native told UFC Tonight that a fight with Swanson makes the most sense for him in the division while all of the contenders await the title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes to happen later this year.
Unfortunately, Swanson isn't nearly as excited about facing Edgar with a potential title shot looming in his future following his last victory in the Octagon.
When he was reached for comment, Swanson didn't seem interested in fighting Edgar unless he's recently picked up a UFC championship that no one knows about, but he's not necessarily opposed to the matchup either. Swanson has always been a fighter willing to step up to a challenge and it's hard to believe he'd turn this down if the UFC came calling with an offer.
"I was told my fight would be for a belt. I don't think he has one of those," Swanson said. "But I wouldn't mind punching him."
An Edgar vs. Swanson fight does sounds awfully enticing for a featherweight division in need of more star power, but ultimately it will likely come down to timing on the Aldo vs. Mendes fight before anything else is determined. If the featherweight title sits in limbo for a few months, Edgar facing Swanson could keep both fighters active and on the radar while Aldo recovers.
Otherwise, Swanson could easily sit out for a few months and wait for the winner of Aldo vs. Mendes in early 2015.
