Call it seeing sense if you want, but Frankie Edgar is taking his run at history.
While the former UFC Lightweight Champion's move to the featherweight division is being painted as a mix of retreat and acquiescence after a closely contested decision loss to Benson Henderson at UFC 150, the truth is that Edgar has an excellent opportunity to make history at 145 pounds. The obvious goal of the move is a showdown with Jose Aldo for the UFC Featherweight Championship, and if successful, Edgar would join BJ Penn and Randy Couture as the only fighters in UFC history to win titles in two different weight classes.
The question now seems to be whom Edgar should face in his featherweight debut. With Aldo set to defend his title against Erik Koch at UFC 153 this fall in Rio de Janeiro, it's likely that "The Answer" will have to take a fight at featherweight before he gets his chance at Aldo, and Chad Mendes, Chan Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier are among the names being prominently discussed.
Interestingly enough, none of Aldo's challengers in the UFC have earned their shot through a No. 1 contender's bout. Mark Hominick's ticket to a date with Aldo at UFC 129 was punched with a win over George Roop at UFC Fight for the Troops 2. Kenny Florian got his shot with a win over Aldo training partner Diego Nunes, probably the strongest pre-Aldo opponent for a UFC challenger. Chad Mendes got a win over Rani Yahya, who wouldn't have been in position for a title shot had he won, and Koch defeated The Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins in his last foray into the Octagon, which also happened to be Brookins' post-TUF debut. So, while it would undoubtedly be exciting to throw Edgar into the Octagon with Jung or Poirier, it's not necessary, and it might not be worth jeopardizing the Edgar-Aldo megafight.
We would suggest Nunes, but he's booked to fight Bart Palaszewski at UFC on FX 5 in October. In this case, look for a fight with Jung. Edgar's disciplined wrestling-based game and fluid movement on the feet should allow him to defeat the "Korean Zombie," and the combination of Edgar and the increasingly popular Jung would make for an excellent main event on free TV or a co-main event on pay-per-view.
Jung will get his shot at the title one day. He's too popular, talented and exciting not to. In the meantime, though, he should be cast in the role of Edgar's stepping stone...unless, of course, Jung can beat him.
