frankie_edgar_prommanow.comFormer UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will be going into the most important fight of his career when he faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 156 on Saturday night.

Every upcoming fight is the most important fight for fighters, but this one is a little different for Edgar and here’s why:

  • Edgar is coming off back-to-back losses
  • Edgar is fighting the the title in his first fight in the division and a loss here puts him in a bad spot in the division.
  • Edgar will be 32 years old and has taken quite a bit of damage for such a small guy

Edgar will not be cut from the UFC roster if he were to lose a third consecutive fight, but it will hurt his stock considerably especially if he’s finished by Jose Aldo in quick fashion. I think the chance of the latter happening is pretty slim but a third consecutive loss is a big deal nonetheless.

The fact that he’s getting a title shot(while coming off a loss) in his first fight in the division puts him in a bad spot in the division should he lose. Usually a fighter will have to climb the ladder of a division(unless they are Chael Sonnen), knocking off a couple of contenders along the way and gaining some credibility. An instant loss against Aldo forces Edgar to the back of the line and he’d have to win two or three fights before earning another title shot.

Just look what Vitor Belfort is having to do to earn another title shot against Anderson Silva. Granted, Edgar seems to be the king of immediate rematches.

Edgar will be 32 years old later this year and has taken quite a bit of damage throughout his career fighting larger opponents. That damage/injuries will surely be detrimental to a fighter that depends on speed, agility, and reflexes to get the better of his opponents.

BJ Penn was about the same age when he went from seemingly unbeatable lightweight to mere mortal in the span of about two fights.

A loss isn’t the end of the world for Edgar. He can probably get a couple wins in a shallow featherweight division. Maybe Aldo decides to move up to the lightweight division because of difficulties in cutting weight as his body continues to physically mature. However, a loss to Aldo definitely puts him in a position like an NFL team trying to make the playoffs and needs help from other teams to get them in. Maybe Edgar could pull a Urijah Faber and drop down to the UFC bantamweight division? There are lots of variables in play for Edgar, but winning on Saturday night cancels all of them out which makes this his most important fight to date.

This could be his last legitimate chance at recapturing UFC gold, be sure to tune in on Saturday night for what could be an epic fight.


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