If everything goes according to plan, you'd have to think that Conor McGregor vs Frankie Edgar will be headlining UFC 200. Edgar may have to wait a few months but provided McGregor gets through UFC 197 relatively unscathed, a featherweight title showdown is the obvious fight to headline the showpiece event.
However, if Edgar is put in a corner for a few months, there's always the possibility that someone else could come out of the woodwork (Jose Aldo perhaps?) and steal the biggest payday of any fighter's career. Aldo has been speaking this week and stated that Dana White promised him a title eliminator against Edgar as his next fight. If that does happen, there's every possibility that 'The Answer' may not get his shot.
Which may be why the New Jersey native's camp are making sure everyone keeps their man in mind when it comes to McGregor's first fight after his move up to lightweight. On Christmas Eve, Edgar's Twitter account went in to overdrive with some rather awful 'smack talk' that was very unlike what fans had come to expect from Edgar. It's since been confirmed that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, had the keys to the account that day and was getting a bit ahead of himself.
Nonetheless it got people talking and now it's the turn of Edgar's coach, Mark Henry, to address both McGregor and John Kavanagh over what he obviously sees as the unfair advantage that McGregor has been utilising in the featherweight division. Writing on Instagram (below), Henry wrote;
Unlike most of the 145 pd division that is upset you're going up I'm not. I want to congratulate you on actually fighting men your own size. I mean walking 175-180 fighting at 155 takes a brave man. When you say 99 % of people couldn't make the weight cut Conner makes to 145 your right, because 99 % of the fighters aren't as scared as Conner to have to drop that much weight.
Fear could will a man to do amazing things. Now why don't you drop the security blanket and leave the 145 pd belt and go full blown BIG BOY. Congratulations again....... Almost.
PS @frankieedgar walked 156 when he won 155 title.
See also: Frankie Edgar Left In Limbo As Conor McGregor Looks To Change The Game
While we're all over the possibility of seeing McGregor vs Edgar at UFC 200, it must be said that may not be the way to go about it. Having said that, he does bring up the fact that Edgar won the lightweight belt back in 2010. Back to back loses against Benson Henderson saw him drop down to featherweight but if they really want McGregor to stay at lightweight then it's possible Edgar could move back up to meet him at 155.
It's unlikely, for one, we're not sure why they'd give McGregor the advantage of not having to cut weight but other than that we can't really work out why Henry is trying to shame the Dubliner into sticking around at 155. Regardless of weight class, the big money fight for Edgar, or anyone at 145 or 155, is McGregor. If the Dubliner was to drop the featherweight belt in favour of a permanent move to lightweight it would undoubtedly leave Edgar in pole position to step up and take the belt but surely winning the title by default with no big payday is hardly what he wants.
