Chad Mendes Thinks Frankie Edgar is Being ‘Screwed,’ but Also Sees Opportunity
When featherweight champion Jose Aldo was forced out of his scheduled UFC 189 bout against Conor McGregor, the UFC called on Chad Mendes to step up on short notice instead of Frankie Edgar.
McGregor defeated Mendes in the second round to win the interim title and before his hand was raised, Edgar was already lobbying the Irishman for a fight. Instead, the original match-up between McGregor and Aldo was rescheduled for UFC 194 and Edgar paired with Mendes at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale.
Mendes believes Edgar has been getting the short end of the stick in the 145-pound division for some time, but also sees their bout as a huge opportunity.
“Honestly, in my opinion, I feel like Frankie’s getting screwed here. I mean, this is a guy that’s been winning. He, in my opinion, deserves the title shot next. But it is what it is, and he took the fight with me. So it’s not my problem,” Mendes recently told Submission Radio.
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“I think he should have obviously fought for the title, maybe one or two fights ago. But I just fought Conor for the interim [title], I fought Jose twice now, and Frankie hasn’t lost since then, and I don’t know… I’m just saying, in my opinion, I think that he should have been next in line for the title or already have fought for the title,” added the third-ranked featherweight.
Mendes believes that he’s a bad match-up for the former lightweight champion, and sees the fight with Edgar as a huge opportunity for his career.
“This a bad match-up for Frankie. I feel like this is kind of a stupid move on his part if he’s trying to get after that title shot. But this is a fight that [if] I win, it’s huge for my legacy. Frankie has been in the sport for so long, he’s beaten some of the best, he’s been the champion at 155. And so for me, I think that this is the type of opponent that when I beat [him], I get put right into that category. I know this will be huge for my career,” he said.
The winner between Mendes and Edgar will emerge as the clear top contender in the division, but that doesn’t guarantee either of them a title fight in the next outing.
