Frankie Edgar Thinks He’s In Line For A Title Shot With Win Over BJ Penn
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is headed for a third match-up with former multi-division champion BJ Penn in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 19 on July 6 from Las Vegas.
After taking the belt from Penn in early 2010 Edgar followed up what many thought was a fluke by handily beating “The Prodigy” again that year. It’s a rivalry that has been eating at the legendary Hawaiian ever since, so he signed on to face Edgar (this time at The Answer’s new weight class of featherweight) for a third time after coaching the most recent season of TUF. Edgar recently met up with Submission Radio to discuss fighting Penn again, noting that he wants to use the fight as a stepping-stone to another title shot:
“My motivation is, I just want to get back to the title. You know, in order to do that I’m gonna have to win every fight in front of me. And just the fact that I don’t wanna lose the third time out. I won twice (against B.J.), for sure I don’t wanna lose the third time out.”
Edgar believes that defeating Penn for a third time will get him close to another shot at the featherweight title, which will be contested when dominant champion Jose Aldo rematches Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 176 on August 2:
“Yeah, I think I’m right in line. I’m right there. If not right after B.J. maybe one more, but I’m definitely vying for it. I’ll do what I gotta do to get there.”
Currently ranked at No. 2 at 145 pounds, Edgar has lost his last three title fights in a row, and while they were littered with some very close decisions, Edgar knows he has to adapt his styles to make his wins more convincing. He touched on his gameplan to make those changes against Penn:
“It definitely is harder said than done. Especially, like you said, when you’re fighting the best in the world. It’s just being more assertive when I’m fighting, be a little more aggressive. You know if I taste blood I kinda gotta go for it
A guy like B.J. is especially hard. I think he’s maybe been stopped once. You know, and that was really in-between a round, not even during a round. It’s definitely gonna be a big mountain to climb, but that is my goal. I’ll try to give him a reason to quit, and maybe he’ll kind of do it for me.”
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Penn gives up, because ‘The Prodigy” is known as one of the toughest fighters to finish. Regardless, that has to be Edgar’s mindset going into the fight, because after a period of relative inactivity and some close decision losses, he needs a big win more than many other top-ranked fighters in the UFC.
As to who he he’ll hopefully face next, Edgar closed by offering his prediction for UFC 176’s blockbuster main event:
“I’m gonna say Mendes.”
That’s a bold prediction. Will “The Answer” find himself with an opportunity to face “Money” anytime soon?
