Frankie Edgar May Have to Make the Featherweight Move to Get Another UFC Title Shot

Including capturing the UFC lightweight title from BJ Penn in April of 2010, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has fought just three opponents over the course of his last six bouts.

He’s rematch all three opponents.

The down side of that is that he capped off that run with back-to-back decision losses – arguable or not – to current champion Benson Henderson. Losing twice to the man that currently holds the belt does not increase the odds for a third fight.

So as long as Henderson holds the belt, getting back into title contention is going to be tough for Edgar, regardless of how good he is or how disputed the outcomes of his two fights with Henderson were.

The solution? Edgar could consider making the move down to 145 pounds, where the thin ranks of contenders could mean he’d be back in the title mix rather quickly.

Asked if Edgar needed to drop down to 145 pounds to get another UFC title shot any time in the near future, UFC president Dana White, during a Metro PCS fan chat on Tuesday, answered, “Yeah, Frankie Edgar is probably gonna have to move down to 145. If not, he'll have to work his way back up.”

If Henderson – who is facing Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 5 in December – were to lose the belt anytime soon, Edgar isn’t as far off from title contention as White’s first statement sounds.

“He's had a lot of title shots,” White conceded, “but it's hard to deny the guy is still one of the best 55ers in the world.”

But 145 pounds is still where Edgar could quickly jump into the title picture.

UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo has a title defense coming up at UFC 153 in October, but is an overwhelming favorite against Erik Koch. And beyond that fight, there is no one else that is burning up the ranks that most would consider a threat to the champion.

Is that enough of a lure to sway Edgar to make the featherweight move?