UFC 162 co-headliner Frankie Edgar tougher after surviving 'mental test' of skid

It hasn’t been a feeling that Frankie Edgar has been thrilled to relive, but it’s been one he’s felt before.

And it’s certainly not one he has wanted to get used to – though like it or not, he probably has at this point. Edgar’s past three fights, all title bouts, have resulted in relatively close decisions – all three going against him, and all three fights that have been argued by some as fights he may have done enough to win.

He lost his lightweight title to Benson Henderson at UFC 144 in February 2012. It was a unanimous nod in Henderson’s favor, but many observers, including some major MMA media outlets, scored the fight for Edgar. It was close enough that UFC President Dana White ordered up a rematch, and the fight at UFC 150 was even closer – with Henderson again getting his hand raised, that time by split decision. But in that one, most media scored the fight for Edgar, believing he had done plenty to get his title back.

Edgar’s response to the back-to-back lightweight title setbacks, which came after a pair of title fights against B.J. Penn to win the belt and defend it, then a pair against Gray Maynard (a draw and a TKO stoppage in the rematch), was to finally drop to featherweight.

And against champ Jose Aldo in an immediate title shot at the new weight class, Edgar in February again walked away just short. Many scored it three rounds to two for Aldo, but some thought Edgar did enough to pull the upset.

The result was the same, though. Another five-round war, and still no belt to show for it.

Edgar (15-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) this week returns to a world he hasn’t known in three and a half years when he meets Charles Oliveira (16-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at UFC 162 in a three-round fight, snapping a streak of seven straight title fights.

The former champ told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) dealing with being so close, but yet so far, is something he’s done in the past – and he’ll fight his way through it.

“It’s definitely a mental test, and it makes you tougher, I think,” Edgar told MMAjunkie.com. “I dealt with it before in my amateur wrestling career. I took second in high school state (wrestling tournament), I took second in high school nationals, I missed being an All-American by an overtime match. So that’s what I felt like – a lot of these fights were almost like taking second place.

“I’ve been there before and I could’ve packed it in, but I chose not to. That’s just what I’m doing here. I’m working my way back, and I’m keeping things positive.”

The fight with Oliveira, which serves as the co-main event of UFC 162 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is one that was a head-scratcher to some. But that may be because fans have become so accustomed to seeing Edgar preparing for and fighting in title fights the past three years that a “normal” opponent takes some getting used to.

Edgar is as much as a 6-to-1 favorite over Oliveira, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, from some oddsmakers. But he’s certainly not taking the 23-year-old lightly.

“I think he’s a very dangerous opponent,” Edgar said. “When he first came in (to the UFC), people were talking about him being the next big thing. So just because he had a couple setbacks himself doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the talent and the ability to be one of the top guys in this weight class.”

Oliveira started his UFC career with back-to-back “Submission of the Night” wins at lightweight, but then ran into some bumps in the road. He was submitted by Jim Miller and knocked out by Donald Cerrone, and in between, a win over Nik Lentz was overturned to a non-contest since his submission was the result of landing an illegal knee.

After the loss to Cerrone, Oliveira dropped to featherweight in 2012, and it took him a little more than 100 seconds to get back into bonus-winning form when he stopped Eric Weisely with a rare calf slicer at UFC on FOX 2. Four months later, he submitted Jonathan Brookins. But in September, Cub Swanson knocked him out at UFC 152 – and like Edgar, he’s looking to get back on track in the division.

Knowing Edgar is one of the sport’s better boxers might have Oliveira assuming he’s better served to get the fight to the ground and use his jiu-jitsu. And Edgar is fine with that.

“I prepared to be able to handle everything,” he said. “I’m confident in my jiu-jitsu and my preparation for this fight with his jiu-jitsu. So wherever we go – if we go down, I’m going to go for it. But I’m going to put myself in the best position to win and we’ll see what happens.”

What Edgar, of course, hopes happens is he gets back in the win column. If nothing else, he’d love to remember what it’s like to get his hand raised, which hasn’t happened since his October 2011 win over Maynard at UFC 136.

“I always try to think of the positive and think of the moments after the fight and walking in victory lane, so to speak,” he said. “And that’s something I’m looking forward to.”

For the latest on UFC 162, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.