Frankie Edgar is getting tired of preparing for Max Hollway.
The former lightweight champion will finally take on featherweight champ “Blessed” in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., July 27, 2019) UFC 240 from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The two were scheduled to fight twice before at December 2017’s UFC 218 and March 2018’s UFC 222. Each fight fell apart due to a respective injury from each side, however, and their paths went in opposite directions for a while.
Holloway overcame a frustrating year full of injuries and defended his title against Brian Ortega, who had knocked out Edgar on short notice, at December’s UFC 231. Edgar beat Cub Swanson last April and had to pull out of a November match-up with Chan Sung Jung due to another injury. “Blessed” also attempted to become a two-division champ by facing Dustin Poirier in a failed bid at lightweight.
So the potentially great featherweight bout that just didn’t seem likely to happen actually will tomorrow night. Both fighters made weight at today’s UFC 240 early weigh-ins. Speaking earlier this week via UFC News, Edgar expressed his gratitude that the fight is finally set to go down:
“I feel good man, third time’s a charm. You know, here we are a couple days out, feel like we’re gonna make it there. Definitely some relief.”
Holloway Getting Better
As for his seemingly endless preparation for Holloway, Edgar noted he let his coaches take care of the film work. From what he’s seen, the Hawaiian champion continues to improve. But after three fight camps getting ready for ‘Blessed,’ ‘The Answer’ is just sick of thinking about Holloway:
“I’m not a huge film guy, I kind of let my coaches do that. And every time we prepare for him, he seems like he’s getting better and better. But once I find out who I’m fighting, I think about that guy everyday, so yeah, I’m definitely sick of thinking about this guy.”
Different Fighter Than ‘The Diamond’
Asked about Holloway’s last fight, a defeat against Poirier, Edgar noted he wouldn’t take much away from it because he’s a different fighter. While the left-handed ‘Diamond’ is a bigger athlete who loves to slug it out, Edgar focused on his more well-rounded game:
“I mean, I’m just a different fighter. Dustin’s a little bit bigger, a southpaw, more of a stand-up guy. I think I mix it up really well, and you know, kind of keep guys guessing.”
It’s a fair assessment, and fans will see how that plays out in Edmonton tomorrow night. The match-up could be Edgar’s last chance at UFC gold after his prior three title shots ended in close losing efforts. He’s a decided underdog against Holloway, who hasn’t lost at 145 pounds since he met Conor McGregor in August 2013.
Will Edgar be able to solve the puzzle of ‘Blessed’ in Canada?
