3. Frankie Edgar
To this day, “The Answer” hears the rumblings. Even after an impressive run at lightweight that saw Edgar lose just once in five years en route to capturing the 155-pound belt, everyone from fans to UFC President Dana White has been trying to nudge him into the featherweight division.
“I have so much respect for Frankie Edgar,” White said. “He did what he had to do at 155 pounds because there wasn’t a 145-pound division. He did it.”
That he did. While many of his opponents were cutting from as high as 170 pounds, Edgar endured almost no weight cut prior to his lightweight fights. It did not seem to matter, as he utilized superior speed and movement to take victories over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek, Spencer Fisher and Sean Sherk early in his career.
His greatest achievement came during a four-fight run from April 2010 to October 2011, when he compiled a 3-0-1 mark against B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard. Few gave him a chance to dethrone Penn, who was also a former welterweight champion, and Edgar shocked the world twice. Those same doubters expected Maynard to control Edgar much the way he did in their first meeting at UFC Fight Night 13, but that scenario never transpired. Edgar was rocked in both of his meetings with the larger, stronger Maynard, but both times he recovered. After a draw with “The Bully” at UFC 125, Edgar rallied from the brink of defeat to finish him with strikes at UFC 136.
Edgar might someday listen to his boss and drop to featherweight, but it would not be a surprise if he kept fighting larger adversaries at 155, either.
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