Conor McGregor’s brand took a major hit after he tapped to a rear-naked choke in the second round against Nate Diaz at UFC 196. It wasn’t quite as shocking as Holly Holm finishing Ronda Rousey or when Matt Serra beat Georges St-Pierre but it was still viewed as a monumental upset because of how impressive McGregor had been in his UFC career.
McGregor’s loss was terrible for him in the sense that it’s now evident he is no contender at welterweight — he can’t really be considered a title contender at lightweight right now either — but his loss could end up being a positive thing for the featherweight division. McGregor mentioned at the post-fight press conference that he intended to defend his 145-pound belt in his next fight. Somewhere former lightweight champion and top featherweight contender Frankie Edgar must be jumping for joy as a much-deserved title shot is closer to becoming a reality.
Edgar is coming off a first-round knockout of Chad Mendes and has gone 5-0 at featherweight since losing a competitive decision to former champ Jose Aldo three years ago in his first fight at 145 pounds. Edgar has beaten many of the UFC’s best fighters including B.J. Penn (three times), Urijah Faber and former 155-pound kingpin Sean Sherk. The Toms River, N.J., native has been clamouring for a title shot for quite a while.
The only other two contenders who can make a good case to challenge for McGregor’s belt are Aldo and Max Holloway — both of whom have already fought and lost to the Irishman.
Many feel Aldo, despite lasting just 13 seconds against McGregor at UFC 194, deserves an immediate rematch simply because that’s what the UFC has done at times in the past when a once-dominant champion loses. Anderson Silva, Renan Barao and B.J. Penn all got immediate rematches when they lost their belts, as did Edgar when he lost his belt to Benson Henderson. But it may be difficult to sell a second Aldo fight. An extension of the year-long build-up to UFC 194 could be fatiguing for fight fans and Aldo’s tendency to get injured in training also dampens enthusiasm for a rematch.
Holloway is a dark horse. The young Hawaiian lost a decision to McGregor in 2013 but has since rattled off eight consecutive victories, which is the longest active streak in the division. It will be hard to argue that he doesn’t done enough to warrant a title shot but he’ll get passed over for Edgar or Aldo simply because of the name value.
Edgar is a tougher stylistic matchup for McGregor than Aldo or Holloway. The 34-year-old has excellent wrestling, is very quick and light on his feet. He also has amazing resiliency as he showed on two separate occasions against a much larger Gray Maynard. Edgar, despite getting up there in age, continues to improve with each Octagon performance. Edgar was snubbed for Chad Mendes when Aldo pulled out of UFC 189 but the UFC now has an opportunity to make things right with Edgar.
If Edgar does get the shot, he could make it two losses in a row for McGregor. “Mystic Mac” has consistently shown a vulnerability to the ground game and it was exposed again against Diaz. A fight against a tough wrestler like Edgar is more intriguing for McGregor than him taking on a striker that he already beat. The choice seems clear. Frankie “The Answer” Edgar is ready, but will the UFC come calling?
