UFC President Dana White has made these kind of promises before and not kept them, but as for now, White says Frankie Edgar will be next for the winner of Max Holloway and Brian Ortega for the featherweight championship at UFC 226.
Edgar got back on the winning track in his rematch against Cub Swanson, but before that suffered his first knockout loss to Ortega back at UFC 222.
White made the proclamation during a recent episode of the UFC Unfiltered podcast (Bloody Elbow):
“If you look at Frankie Edgar right now, the guy’s ranked number three in the world. He’s still right in there, and you know how sh-t happens in this business, man.”
“Ortega’s next, but imagine if anything happens to those guys and Frankie stays in shape, he could absolutely dive in there for a title shot. You never know what’s gonna happen.”
White was extremely complimentary of “The Answer”, who is a former UFC lightweight champion and a long-time featherweight contender who has earned his way to the 145 pound belt three times now, twice against Jose Aldo and now again if what White says pans out.
White acknowledged how risky it was for Edgar to take the Ortega fight, but found the silver lining in praising Edgar’s old school mentality of accepting any fight and staying active:
“He’s a f—ng stud. That’s what you do. When you’re a professional fighter and you believe you’re one of the best in the world, you fight anybody. And that’s what he did, he took the fight with Ortega.”
“It ain’t like the old days, man,” he added. “Back when Matt Serra and those guys were fighting. It’s a different world now, and a lot of these guys just want to f—ng sit out and wait because they have the money to do it. And I respect the guys that step up like Frankie Edgar, and that’s why people love Frankie Edgar. He stepped up and took a fight when he didn’t have to and he did, and that’s why people love him.”
But for now, Edgar will yet again have to wait for his shot at the belt, as Holloway will defend his featherweight title against Ortega at UFC 226 on July 7th.
