Frankie Edgar is the Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter in MMA

Last weekend at UFC 136, we got to witness the man that I consider the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC and, more impressively, the best fighter in the sport of MMA.  Frankie “The Answer” Edgar answered all of my questions about whether or not he should be considered in the pound for pound arguments. 

In the first round of his title defense against Gray Maynard, Gray caught Edgar with a vicious upper-cut and floored him with a barrage of punches much like he did in the second fight.  This time I wasn’t so sure Frankie could overcome it.  Gray methodically picked his shot instead of throwing everything at him and paced himself for a finish.  Unfortunately for Gray, Edgar’s “Rocky Balboa” attitude would not let him quit.  Even though Edgar tagged Maynard in the first half of the round and was winning up until he was hit with the lethal upper-cut, most people scored the first round 10-8 for Maynard. 

In the second round, Frankie took it to Gray with the stick and move strategy that got him the title in the first place.  Gray was unable to catch Frankie again. 

In the third round, more of the same was happening as Frankie was moving in and out, scoring at will on Maynard.  At the end of round 3, everyone, including myself, had the fight scored 28-28.  As Dana White stated and everyone was thinking, “Here we go again”.  If one of these two warriors didn’t decisively win the last two rounds we were about the witness another draw. 

Then, in the fourth round, the unthinkable happened.  Frankie Edgar, giving up an enormous amount of size to the much larger challenger, caught Gray Maynard with an upper-cut and viciously assaulted him to end the fight by knocking him out.  Nobody in their right mind would have bet money on the fact that Edgar, who many suggest is fighting out of his weight class and is too small for the lightweight division, would have the power to knock out Gray Maynard.

During the post-fight news conference, Dana White made the statement that Frankie is the number two pound for pound fighter.  He claimed that he surpassed Georges St. Pierre and is only behind Anderson Silva.  Then White continued to suggest that Edgar should move down to the featherweight division to fight Jose Aldo in what most people would consider a super-fight.  He suggests that Frankie will vacate his light-weight crown to do this.  Are you kidding me?  Frankie Edgar is the champion of the most stacked division in MMA, just got done ending the undefeated streak of a great light-weight and he thinks Edgar should move down to fight Jose Aldo? 

All of the talk about pound for pound best fighters and super-fights, prior to this weekend, were always about how Anderson Silva and GSP haven’t cleaned out their divisions. I am still trying to figure out who these guys have left to beat.  Anderson Silva is the champion of the weakest division in the UFC and maybe all of MMA, period. He has unfinished business with Chael Sonnen.  After Chael, who is left? Dan Henderson? Ok, say Hendo gets past Shogun Rua. That will leave Anderson with 2 fights that people could get behind.  The same can be said about GSP.  If he gets by Carlos Condit, then he has the winner of Nick Diaz and BJ Penn looming.  After that? Jake Ellenberger?  If that is the case, and Ellenberger stays hot, that will leave GSP with 3 fights. 

The lightweight division took a hit this week with Melvin Gullard losing to Joe Lauzon, but there are a lot of fights left at light-weight for Edgar.  Dana White insists the time for a super-fight with Aldo is now.  I’ve named off about 5-8 guys that are in line to challenge Edgar.  How is it when you fight in a division, that you are clearly undersized for, continue to win, and have no shortage of challengers, your boss tells you that you should move down in weight?  I tell you what Dana, find a fighter that can beat him and then you can have that conversation.  Until then, you can continue finding lame excuses on why Anderson Silva and GSP can’t fight super-fights.   And while we’re at it, add Jon Jones to that mix.  As for Jose Aldo, he is closer to cleaning out his division than Frankie Edgar is his.  Tell him to move up a class where many suggest he belongs.  Then make the Aldo-Edgar super-fight and if Aldo is victorious then that will suggest Frankie should move down.

Ok, with that rant out of the way, I do agree that Frankie Edgar is clearly cutting his longevity in the sport of MMA shorter by fighting these bigger guys.  I mean let’s look at it this way:  Frankie Edgar walks around without a weight cut at 160 pounds, he only has to cut 5 pounds to make weight, and he can’t even make the welter-weight division.  For example, Gray Maynard, before his weight cut, walked around at close to, if not more than 200 pounds.  The same can be said for 80-90% of all the guys that fight at light-weight.  But isn’t this more of a reason to acknowledge Frankie Edgar as the pound for pound king?  While everyone in MMA, with the exception of maybe B.J. Penn, is trying to get every advantage possible to fight guys they can over power, Frankie Edgar stands alone in trying to debunk that theory.  He fights bigger men every fight he is in.  And he wins!  Look at the other fighters in the conversation of pound for pound best fighter:  Jon Jones walks around at 225-230 before he cuts down to 205; Anderson Silva walks around at 220 before he cuts down to 185; GSP walks around at 190-200 before he cuts down to 170; Jose Aldo walks around at 185 before his cut to 145. Frankie Edgar defies the laws of fighting physics.  He doesn’t hide behind a weight to get an advantage.  What defines the best pound for pound fighter if not that? It is the fighter who can win a fight no matter what his weight is.  Frankie Edgar is the best in the most stacked division on the planet.  There is no need for him to move down to feather-weight.  But there is a need for him to be recognized as the pound for pound king because he is and he deserves that title.

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