Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has nothing more to prove. He imposed himself as the champion in a division where he was smaller than his opponents. He thought in 9 UFC title fights and battled against the likes of Jose Aldo and BJ Penn.
Last Saturday, Edgar was entering a new chapter of his career as he made his bantamweight debuts against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 18. This match-up was highlighted as one of the best on the entire card by many experts.
Many thought that Edgar’s amazing wrestling and very sound striking could pose some problems to Sandhagen. But Sandhagen proved everyone wrong.
He drew Edgar onto a perfectly timed flying knee and knocked him out cold in 28 seconds. Edgar remained unconscious for a full minute before getting back up.
Sandhagen then went on to call for a title shot against the winner of Petr Yan vs Aljarmain Sterling at UFC 259. After a performance like this, it’ll hard to deny him.
Following this devastating loss, Frankie Edgar issued a statement on his Instagram page reassuring his fans and congratulating Sandhagen.
“I’ve licked my wounds long enough, I’m home with my family life is good. On Saturday I was as prepared for a fight as I could have been. Props to Cory Sandhagen, he landed a prefectly timed and executed bomb on me, luckily I don’t remember it much lol.”
“This game can be a curel bitch and Saturday night was just that, but I ain’t panicked I been here before. Thank to my family, team and friends who really are all one in the same for continually giving me the love and support it takes to be a fighter.”
“The loyalty and unconditional love and guidance you all give me is truly unbelievable, I love you all more than you know. To my fans who always ride with me I appreciate you all and you make this fun for me.Till the next time, see you all soon.”
At 39 years old, this is a devastating setback for Edgar who hoped to compete for a title as quickly as possible. But if anybody can bounce back from that, it’s Frankie Edgar. We could see him back in the octagon later this year against Rob Font or a possible trilogy fight against Jose Aldo.
