Thank goodness for Frankie Edgar.
A few weeks back, “The Answer” outhustled and outstrategized BJ “The Prodigy” Penn in the UFC lightweight championship, one of the “unbeatable” champions in MMA was dethroned and the playing field in an entire weight class was levelled.
Most fight fans agreed that the UFC lightweight division was a shark tank of talent but that, like welterweight and middleweight, its champion was in a class of his own. Now that Edgar is the champ, things get a heck of a lot more interesting.
First off, who should face Edgar next? I would argue it has to be wrestling powerhouse Gray Maynard. Not only is Maynard undefeated, he’s the only man to beat Edgar. He deserves his shot. Next in line would probably be Kenny Florian, who was flat against Penn last summer but dominated Clay Guida and Takanori Gomi since then. His Muay Thai, BJJ and intelligence would provide an interesting challenge to Edgar.
I’d be tempted to give Edgar the Maynard fight and pit Kenny Florian against unbeaten George Sotiropoulos, whose ground skills, boxing and long reach would test Florian mightily. The winners of those two bouts could face off.
And where does Penn fit in? Well, I’m going on a hunch, but I believe Penn will view his loss as an opportunity to return to the welterweight division instead of look for a rematch. Plenty of interesting opponents would await him there, from Matt Hughes to Josh Koscheck to Jon Fitch to Thiago Alves. Penn could certainly make things interesting.
After Anderson Silva embarrassed the UFC, it’s especially good timing that one division just got a major shakeup. As for Edgar, before we write him off as a one-hit wonder, maybe we should stop underestimating the little guy. He’s fast, he can box, he can wrestle, and his cardio is unbelievable. He just may stay champ for a while.
By Matt Larkin
Guest Writer
MMA Gyms Toronto, North York, Brampton, Etobicoke, Markham, Mississauga, Oshawa, Peel Region, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Thornhill, Vaughan, Woodbridge, York, York Region Ontario Canada.
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