Frankie Edgar: ‘I think I’m still close’ to a title shot despite recent loss

Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar suffered his first-ever stoppage loss when he was knocked out by Brian Ortega in the first round of their UFC 222 co-headliner fight in early March. The loss had brought him further down the ladder of contenders who would be next in line for a shot at the 145-pound title.

Edgar, meanwhile, is optimistic about his chances of getting back in front of the line, as he keeps the hardworking and grinding mindset that he is known for.

“I think I’m still close (to a title shot),” Edgar said in a recent interview on the MMA Hour (via MMA Fighting). “Maybe not just one (win), but two and I feel like I’m right there. I always say, as long as I keep training hard and keep putting myself in the right position, I think I’ll always be knocking on that door.”

“So my mentality hasn’t changed. I still want to be a champion,” he added. “I know the path might be a little different, but I’m still positive. I’m not beat up. I did get rocked during the fight. I got put down and I got rocked, I got stopped. I gotta deal with it, I’ve gotta come to terms with it, but I’m ready to put that work in and achieve these goals again.”

Just eight weeks after his knockout loss, “The Answer” will step right back in to face Cub Swanson in a rematch. For observers like Yves Edwards and Joe Rogan, this turnaround may be a little too quick, but for Edgar, the timing is just right.

“I don’t care. Cub’s game, I’m game, let’s do it. It doesn’t matter at this point,” Edgar said. “It doesn’t really matter who fights who so much. I think this is all timing. If you’re winning fights at the right time, then good things happen.”

“I’m always trying to outdo myself, from my last performance or from my most previous performance. I’m definitely going to try to outdo myself from the last time I fought Cub.”

While coach Mark Henry previously expressed his interest in Edgar moving down to bantamweight, Frankie also stated that it is “definitely not on his mind” at this point.

UFC Atlantic City takes place on April 21^st. It will be headlined by a lightweight fight between Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee.