Edgar Aims To Reclaim UFC Lightweight Title
DALLAS (CBSDFW) - Two years ago, Frankie Edgar had one lone defeat in The UFC, and yet hardly anyone was giving him a chance to defeat B.J. Penn for the lightweight title.
Weighing a natural 155 pounds, Edgar had always been undersized even as a lightweight.
That night in Abu Dhabi, Edgar defeated Penn, took his belt, and for good measure beat him again even more decisively in a rematch four months later. Frankie would then go on to hold the UFC lightweight title for two years, retaining the belt twice more in a pair of thrilling fights against Gray Maynard, before losing his title to Benson Henderson this past February in a five round unanimous decision.
Henderson, a former WEC fighter who is known for his athleticism and outstanding kicks, used his legs to guide him to victory over the shorter and smaller Edgar.
While two judges saw the fight three rounds to two for Henderson, one judge saw it as the difference of only one round en route to giving Edgar's title belt to Henderson. With a fight that close, "Mr. Rematch" Frankie Edgar was determined to get an immediate do over, even as some reports had Edgar being offered an instant featherweight title shot against Jose Aldo if he would drop down to 145 pounds.
While such a move may be in the future for Frankie, he feels that he has unfinished business with Benson Henderson in the lightweight division, and this Saturday night in Denver at UFC 150 he has every intention of being introduced as the UFC lightweight champion once again.
Frankie Edgar talked to me about what he thought went right in his first fight with Ben Henderson, what he expects to be different the second time around, and what the hardest part of being the ex champ has been over the last five months.
PLAY: Richard Hunter talks with UFC fighter Frankie Edgar
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