What a complex love triangle we’ve got atop the UFC’s featherweight ladder.
The first challenger for Conor McGregor’s 145 lb crown will be decided in just six weeks time, at UFC 200, when Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar answer the bell for round two of their feud.
The last time they fought, in 2013, it was for the undisputed featherweight title and Aldo’s hand was raised in a unanimous decision.
It was a different time in MMA and most would agree that the 145 lb division lacked any spark just three years ago, before a certain Irishman took the weight class by storm.
McGregor has upped the ante when it comes to the fight-hyping game and it’s no surprise that, having gotten a glimpse at the Dubliner’s paychecks, other fighters are following suit.
And Edgar believes that’s exactly where Aldo’s new found voice has stemmed from, as we are seeing a much more chatty Aldo nowadays than we’ve ever seen before.
“You’re seeing it across the board in all weight classes,” Edgar told MMAFighting. “Guys are getting more vocal. They’re just seeing what it’s done for Conor, so they’re trying to kind of make their voice heard. I think that’s what Aldo is doing.
“Arguably, you could say I haven’t lost a round since me and Aldo fought. He’s just been in some either pretty boring (fights), or wars since our fight. So, I think I’m the one who looks like he’s evolved more than Aldo has. So yeah, I don’t know. I think he’s just talking the fight up.”
Edgar, who made his debut in 2005 and is riding a five-fight win streak since his defeat to Aldo, has seen everything in the Octagon. He insisted he’s not fooled by the game that Aldo is trying to play by claiming he essentially beat ‘The Answer’Â while carrying an injury to his right arm.
“This guy is like I said. People are trying to talk. He’s just not that great at doing it, you know?” Edgar continued.
“He’s just trying to create buzz, and I get what he’s trying to do, but we all know he doesn’t fight injured. The guy pulls out of fights every other fight, so he definitely doesn’t fight injured. So we can just throw that one away.
“And everybody talks about how our fight was close. He wants to sit there and have this false sense of security? Maybe that’s why he’s trying to talk like this, because he’s dealing with this knockout loss. But, by all means, go ahead and go in there super confident.”
