Welcome to the "Frankie Edgar Era"
Posted on September 1, 2010, 08:27 AM by Anton GurevichNew Jersey native Frankie "The Answer" Edgar has successfully retained his title in a rematch against BJ Penn, in what was truly an epic display of skill, heart and determination. But except of defending his title against Penn in extraordinary fashion, there was much more in a Frankie Edgar's victory. He completed a journey from a no-name in the UFC, to a proud Lightweight Champion, and in my eyes, one of the best Pound for Pound fighters in the World.
Edgar is a complete opposite from BJ Penn. You'll never see him talking trash or giving promises he can't fulfill. His quiet personality and nearly unhuman work ethic are a rare attributes in today's Mixed Martial Arts, where fighters sometimes force themselves in a trash talking wars to get attention. Edgar deserves his props for the way he handled BJ Penn's accusations of him "stealing the victory" in Abu Dhabi. He talked inside the cage, and defended his title in response to BJ's trash talk.
It's enough to take a quick look at Frankie Edgar's UFC record. Three Fight of the Night honors. He defeated four fighters with unbeaten records: Matt Veach (11-0), Mark Bocek (4-0), Tyson Griffin (8-0) and Jim Miller (5-0). More than that, Edgar defeated the former UFC Lightweight Title challenger Hermes Franca, and the former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk. And of course, the double victory against the Top 5 P4P Fighter in the World, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn. I don't know how about you guys, but it's one of the most impressive records in MMA today.
Beyond statistics, the way Frankie Edgar fought at UFC 112 and 118 was a true inspiration to everyone who loves MMA. I had him winning all 5 Rounds at UFC 112 (and you can continue calling me Anton Peoples for that), and he proved my point at on August 28th. It was a dominant performance of a well-rounded Mixed Martial Artist and a proud Champion, who's willing to prove he deserves his belt.
He may not be as exciting as Wanderlei Silva in Pride, but the way he moves, punches and wrestles is a joy to behold to any MMA fan out there. Every fighter has a different style, and that's why the sport is called Mixed Martial Arts. There's no doubt that Frankie Edgar will have to improve his finishing ability, especially when fighting a grinder like Gray Maynard. But believe me, as long as he does the same thing he did against BJ Penn, he will continue to be the UFC Lightweight Champion.
In conclusion, Frankie Edgar deserves much more respect than he gets from MMA fans around the World. Gray Maynard will try to prove the opposite, but until then, it's the Frankie Edgar era.
Comments
Too bad the Era's not going to last too long. Maynard's going to lay and prey that belt right off his wasteline.
he didnt finish either fight, but he kept busy and that made it entertaining
unless Maynard knocks himself out again.
@Fletcherx, I agree, Maynard is prolly going to beat him via decision
oh so now its the edgar era? i remember a while ago how it was the 'machida era' and before ufc 100 there was talk of a new 'thiago alves era'....does this mean when maynard beats him (which is very possible) that its the maynard era? and then if gomi beats maynard its the gomi era?
Wait. Did I miss something? Who the hell said there was going to be a Thaigo Alves era??? Haha!
Bull sh** since when did two wins = an era. I can't wait till Maynard beats this guy. Edgar era my back foot
Obviously in order to get a shot at the title there were impressive wins en-route to the top... You are right, those two wins alone did not create an era...... They just cemented it : )
its funny cuz i remember when Lyoto knocked out Evans and Rogan said "welcome to the Machida era" how long did that last....
you beat me to it i was going to say the same thing
I don't think Edgar Era is going to be very long at all. Maynard is going to win the next fight IMO. Im rooting for Edgar and I love the guy but I think Maynard is the worse match up for him right now. I think the way to beat Frankie Edgar is to bully him which is of course what Maynard does best. If Maynard comes out and is in his face trying to throw him on the mat he's going to walk away with the win. The way to beat Edgar is to try and take the fight to him instead of just trying to catch him like B.J was. Maynard by U Decision when they fight is my opinion. But I hope Edgar wins.
i dont think maynard is going to bet edgar yeah he beat him before, but i think this would be a different fight and probably a boring one but i see edgar scaping grays wrestleling easily just like he scaped bjs jj. i still wouldnt call it an era till we see what happens after maynard and how he defends his belt
the only 2 ppl to have beat bj TWICE r GSP and Frankie give the man credit where credit is due:)
He better count his blessings until Aldo decides to gain a few pounds...
That is for sure. If Aldo goes up to 155 Frankie will not out pace him and would be risking a lot to dive in for a takedown. Aldo is the Frankie answer.
Agreed 100% sir...those knees will taste bitter
I would have to agree with pretty much everything in this article. My only fear is that you may have jinxed him like Joe Rogan jinxed Machida when he said "Welcome to the Machida era"... He's certain to lose to Maynard now!
Loving the Anton Peoples reference too btw... But whatever about UFC112, there was no doubt about who took the decision this time.
sorry, just realised ktobar and postmortem already made reference to the joe rogan/machida thing above...
ther was no doubt that time either
to speak about "era" is a little bit funny for me! its like active figters are hall of famers!!!
but for sure edgar made a great fight and i have a lot of respect for him!!!
wouldn't you say Randy Coture is a Hall of famer?!
He is still fighting dude
randy couture is defenatly a hall of famer in my book, but i dont think its good for the sport to give active fighters this status!!!!
Like the article, but something to note is that Edgar has finished 2 of his last 7 fights...he almost always goes to decision. He is someone that outpoints his opponents - not beats them.
Outpointing them is beating them. If it wasn't, then he wouldn't have that many wins on his record. And look at the list of guys he supposedly didn't beat, how many times has BJ Penn been Finished? How many times has Sean Sherk and Hermes Franka been finished? It ain't no easy task at all.
Outpointing in professional MMA is a victory, also known as "beating" your opponent.
Just to point it out to you guys: The whole concept is to repeat Joe Rogan's "Welcome to the Machida Era".
I truly believe that Frankie Edgar will be a Champ for a long time.
Anton
I respectfully disagree, but just in case, wake me up when it's over.
Thank you...god this guy is boring and to think he's the champion.
And it gets worse. If that mental midget of a fighter, Maynard, beats him, we have to suffer through what can only be described as the "Special Olympics Era" in the LW division.
If frankie sticks to his smart fighting by using boxing with wrestling then he will stay as the champ for a long time............
Well until he fights Aldo =D
The great thing about the LW and most of the divisions is that there is so much viable competition at such a high level. I don't really see Edgar holding that belt for very long. Not to take anything away from him because he did an incredible job getting and holding on to the belt. Even if he does get by Maynard look at the line forming in the rear. That is what is so great about this sport. Once a fighter figures out how to beat the champ there are already three others who have figured out how to beat him as well.
Maynard aside, I dont think there are any others with much of a chance if retains the improvement he has shown. The scary thing is he is still improving. Maynard does have a great chance as his style is about the worst thing for Edgar, but he coped with BJ very well so it seems he's improved massively all round, and it will be much tougher for Maynard this time.
I would love to see Aldo/Edgar, would be a fantastic fight. For some reason Edgar is quite often the underdog, and expected to lose, but when you look at his record as highlighted in this article it is serious p4p material, and IMO many fans still haven't given him a fraction of the credit the guy deserves, possibly because it hasn't sank through their thick skulls how good this guy is.
Great article btw, but Maynard is a serious threat to his belt, but probably the only serious threat. Would take an off night for anyone else to take it.
as much as i dont want to agree with this you bring up very valid points. Edgar is a phenominal fighter no doubt, the sting of bjs loss has worn off and i realize my ignorance lol. but i dont think this will be a era, but if he gets passed maynard it could very well be. only time will tell, i hope edgar puts on exciting fights cause i believe its every champions job to do so.
I cant believe there are still people who aren't giving him the respect he deserves. Its not like he just beat an average champion twice in a row. He beat BJ Penn, who would dismantle any other lightweight besides Edgar. Even if your not impressed by his performance, the two wins alone against a legend liek BJ are proof enough that it is his time.
"one of the best Pound for Pound fighters in the World."
I hear this phrase way too much. I'm starting to feel everyone is one of the p4p best in the world...
I know a lot of people have already said this, but don't you think it is a little to early to say it is the edgar era? After he beats maynard then I'll start to think he is amazing.
I gave Frankie his respect after he beat Sherk. I thought there was no way he can beat him but he did. He proved me wrong twice against BJ. I don't know if he will hold the belt for long but I know I will be cheering for him for a long time.
If BJ could take Franky down twice Maynard can take him down 20 times, I don't like Maynard much but I don't see Franky beating him. Maynard beats Franky and BJ beats Maynard imo.
You could well be right. But we'll soon find out. If Maynard cant beat frankie, I dont see anyone else at LW doing it.