Frankie Edgar doesn't want to drop to featherweight just yet. He is the UFC lightweight champion.
"I want to defend that," Edgar today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).
Has he considered 145 pounds? Absolutely. And it's nice, in theory, to have the option of fighting in either weight class. But the way he feels right now, he'd like to stay put.
"As of today, why not?" Edgar (14-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) said.
That's about as emphatic as you're going to get with the Toms River, N.J. native, who at UFC 136 delivered a guts-and-glory performance that saw him rebound (again) from early trouble to knock out challenger Gray Maynard (10-1-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) and answer a question mark that hung in the air after their second fight ended in a draw.
As definitive as the third defense of Edgar's title was, the champ bobbed and weaved about his future. He didn't yet want to classify himself as a lightweight or a featherweight. He would consider moving down in weight, if the right opportunity presented itself. If his team supported the move, he would do it. Lightweight is what he feels right now, but he is "open for a lot of things."
Edgar knows where the boss stands. UFC president Dana White, who called him the No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter in the world after UFC 136, said he wants Edgar to move down to featherweight and eventually meet that division's reigning champ, Jose Aldo.
White hinted that Edgar's decision to remain in the lightweight class may be detrimental to his long-term health but said he wouldn't force a move. If Edgar wanted to drop to featherweight, however, he would be forced to relinquish his current belt.
"Yeah, you know, I think Dana just wants to see big fights, too," Edgar said. "He's a promoter. I think a lot of people might feel that I could be more dominant at that weight. I don't know if I would be, to be honest.
"It's not 100 percent definite – let's say that. It's not like if you go down, you're automatically better. It could work out that way; it doesn't mean it's automatic.
"There's still other variables to take into consideration: you're cutting weight for the first time, guys are more technical, maybe a little faster down there. So there's a lot more involved than saying, 'If you go down (in weight), you're automatically better.' You see it happen now. Guys go down, they still aren't successful."
As of late, Edgar has seen no slowdown in his momentum at lightweight, so there's a reason for pause. While he said it was nice of White to see him as the No. 2 guy on the pound-for-pound list, he said it was ultimately just an opinion, just as the prospect of greener pastures at featherweight.
"He feels I would do better there," Edgar said. "Maybe I'll have more power or bigger shots, but maybe I won't be the fastest guy down there, so there's a lot of ways to look at it.
"Me, I just want to fight big fights, too. We'll see what happens."
Edgar this past week returned to the gym to keep in shape and work on his technique, but he is still under suspension and remains so until late November. He suffered a broken nose during the fight – how many he's suffered in his career, he can't remember – and this past Tuesday underwent surgery to help him breathe correctly. He won't be fighting any time soon, though.
So he's got time to consider his options.
"I guess February or March, something like that, would be ideal," he said. "That would give me enough time to get back to sparring. That should be sufficient time."
