Frankie Edgar, now considering 3 divisions, says Conor McGregor 'scared' to fight him

LAS VEGAS – Although Frankie Edgar thinks featherweight champion Conor McGregor is scared to fight him, he’s taking a chapter out of the Irish titleholder’s playbook.

Edgar (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) is in Las Vegas for tonight’s UFC 196 event, where McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) moves up two weight classes for a non-title bout against Nate Diaz (18-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC) in the pay-per-view headliner.

Diaz, a replacement for injured lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, got the fight when Edgar couldn’t take it. Edgar has been healing from a groin injury, and with just 10 days’ notice, he said he wouldn’t be ready as a replacement for tonight’s event at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On “SportsCenter,” UFC President Dana White said both Edgar and Jose Aldo turned down the fight. Edgar felt it wasn’t a fair characterization of the situation and subsequently blasted White and the UFC, though he said he and the UFC executive ultimately talked and smoothed things over.

Edgar, though, isn’t holding back with his criticism of McGregor. The featherweight champ has taken digs at Edgar while seemingly leaving the featherweight division behind as he pursues fights in heavier weight classes.

“Everything he does is calculated,” Edgar said. “To me, that’s also a sign that he’s scared to fight me.

“It’s easy for him to go up to (170) and fight (champ) Robbie Lawler because there’s nothing to lose. Why not? He goes there and loses, and everyone’s going to say, ‘Ah, he fought at 70. He shouldn’t have fought there.’ He comes down to fight me, and there’s something to lose there. He’s the 45 king, and if he loses that one, he’s not the king anymore.”

Edgar doesn’t know if he’ll ever get the fight with McGregor (he was promised a title shot after notching his fifth straight win and knocking out Chad Mendes in December). But following McGregor’s lead, Edgar said he’s simply going to make himself available for fights in multiple weight classes.

“I’m going to be like Conor, man,” he said. “I think I can go to 35, 45 and 55, so I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not ruling out anything.”

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