After Chad Mendes failed at his third attempt to claim a 145 lb belt, the UFC were left with only one real option for UFC 194.
Frankie Edgar will be waiting in the wings should either Conor McGregor or Jose Aldo pull out of UFC 194’s main event.
The former UFC lightweight champion revealed that promotion’s president confirmed he is the back-up plan for the major event to Mike Straka.
“If someone gets hurt I’m the guy stepping in. And that’s from Dana White. You can print that in bold letters!”
“I want that title. That, to me, is the most important thing. Conor may be the money fight, but when you win a title that stays with you forever. Money comes and goes. You’re a champ for the rest of your life. I did it at 155 and I want to do it at 145.”
Speaking at the recent UFC GO BIG event, Edgar admitted he was not The Notorious’ biggest fan.
“He knows how to sell himself, but he’s his biggest fan.”
“I have never been one to cross a line to sell fights, and I think he’s crossed a few lines, but I don’t s**t talk Conor, even though he kind of invites it himself. I carry myself with a certain class, as do several other fighters who could be a lot richer if they did those things. We just don’t.”
The New Jersey native, who isn’t known for his smack talk acumen, gave a typically diplomatic response when pressed about his opinion of McGregor’s interim title winning fight against Mendes at UFC 189.
“You can’t say 100 percent that Chad wins that fight with a full camp. Chad is known to get tired but, you know, the hype of that fight has a factor too.”
“Yeah, it was just fifteen days notice, so that could zap his cardio, but based on what he did in that round before he got finished, he was pretty much steamrolling Conor. If he was more prepared could he have done that for five rounds? I don’t know. It’s hard to say.”
Since losing a decision to Jose Aldo in his featherweight debut, Edgar has gone on the rampage, winning four-straight fights against top opposition. Edgar defeated Charles Oliveira, legendary fighter BJ Penn, Cub Swanson and most recently, Urijah Faber to thrust himself back into the title picture.
Edgar is currently booked to fight Mendes in the main event at the TUF 22 Finale the night before UFC 194, which makes him the ideal replacement fighter for the title unification bout.
