FB TW IG YT VK TH
Search
MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

Wrestlezone
FB TW IG YT VK TH

Frankie Edgar Expects 'Super Motivated' Max Holloway Coming Off Loss To Poirier



Frankie Edgar gets another chance to hold a UFC title when he takes on featherweight champion Max Holloway this weekend at UFC 240 in Edmonton, and Edgar is expecting a hungry and motivated opponent.

Advertisement
Edgar has been waiting in the wings of the 145-pound division to get another chance to challenge for featherweight gold, with his last performance coming in April 2018 where be beat Cub Swanson via a dominant unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Holloway has been on a tear as the 145-pound champion, taking down the likes of Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis with ease to cement his status as arguably the greatest-ever featherweight in MMA history.

However, the 27-year-old Hawaiian’s last performance inside the Octagon came at UFC 236 back in April in the heavier lightweight division where he lost to Dustin Poirier for the interim 155-pound belt. Despite losing, Edgar feels he won’t be able to take much from that fight considering his fighting style is different to Poirier’s and it was at a heavier weight class (courtesy of BJPenn.com):

“I think the weight was a big difference and Poirier is a much different fight than myself as he is a southpaw. So, I just don’t take much from it, but little tidbits that my coach dissected and got from it. But, for the most part, it is a totally different fight.”

Edgar said he believes Holloway could start to re-think his fighting style following the loss back in April but is expecting a hungry and motivated opponent who wants to cement his legacy as the best 145-pounder of all-time:

“Everyone is different, everyone handles losses differently. He may be second-guessing himself, or he could be super motivated. I’m expecting to see a motivated guy,” Edgar said. “It was a loss but it was a fantastic fight and he put on a tremendous performance. He won a couple of those rounds, too. A few things go differently in that fight and he gets his hand raised.”

“The Answer” said he is confident that Holloway hasn’t fought a wrestler of his pedigree and will test the champion’s takedown defence throughout the entire fight:

“We will see. He has fought some decent wrestlers in the past, but I think I will be the best wrestler he has fought,” Edgar said. “It is something that I always utilize in my fights and he is preparing for it a bunch. I know he is expecting me to look for those takedowns.”

Edgar shot-down the idea of the much talked about ‘ring rust’ which always gets brought up when a fighter hasn’t fought in some time. The 37-year-old said despite the long layoff including battling injuries, he’s been in the gym the entire time doing what he can to stay active and doesn’t see it as a problem on Saturday night:

“I don’t think ring rust is real for me. I’m always in the gym. Like I was supposed to fight in December and was three weeks away from that one,” he said. “During my injury, I was in the gym doing what I could do. I would have liked to fight to make some money and test myself. But, things worked the way they did. If it is a year off but fighting for the title next, I’ll take it.”

Edgar says the key to winning is to mix-up the fight against Holloway so the champion starts to second-guess his own game plan and make it as uncomfortable for him as possible:

“I’m going to in there and try to finish him, that is for sure. He is a durable guy so we will see. Whether it is a five-round fight or put him away. The main goal is a victory. I have to make Max second guess himself, I have to make him feel that he needs some urgency. Just fight my fight. I mix it up better than most people in this sport and that is key to this victory.”

“Just me pushing the pace and making Max make mistakes and do some uncharacteristic things. Just fight to the best of my ability. I think if I fight to the best of my ability I walk away with the belt.”
Related Articles

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required
Latest News

POLL

Will Conor McGregor fight in 2024?

FIGHT FINDER


FIGHTER OF THE WEEK

Ben Tynan

TOP TRENDING FIGHTERS


+ FIND MORE