Frankie Edgar: ‘I’m the Guy to Beat Conor McGregor’

Twenty-four hours before Conor McGregor knocked out Jose Aldo to unify the UFC featherweight titles on Dec. 12, former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was assured that he’d get the next 145-pound title fight after finishing Chad Mendes in the opening round at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale.

McGregor has options. He could take a rematch with Aldo, or defend his featherweight crown against Edgar. He also has the opportunity to move up to the lightweight division and receive an immediate title shot, fighting the winner of Rafael dos Anjos vs. Donald Cerrone.

Former welterweight champion Matt Hughes once famously said, ‘you’re not a real champion until you’ve defended your title.’ Edgar hopes McGregor feels the same way and believes New York is the prefect place to host it.

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“I’d love to fight McGregor at Madison Square Garden (which the UFC has reserved, pending a court battle). That would be everything,” said Edgar during a media scrum following UFC 194. “I think he’s perfect for it. There’s a lot of Irish in New York.”

Edgar is confident that he has the skillset to derail the McGregor hype train.

“I just think that I’m his kryptonite,” he said. “You saw what Chad [Mendes] did with him on 15-days notice. Chad’s not one to stay in the gym at all. I’m kind of in the gym a lot. You give me a good camp and ample time to prepare for him, I’m the guy to beat McGregor.”

While Edgar’s accomplishments inside the cage warrant a title shot, it’s all up to McGregor. McGregor’s camp has indicated that he plans on moving up to the 155-pound weight class in an effort to become a two-division champion before defending his featherweight belt, but that doesn’t mean that the UFC is on he same page.

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