Featherweight belt the priority for Edgar, but bantamweight's possible
Frankie Edgar could join an exclusive club by winning UFC belts in two divisions. A third belt would really put him in a league of his own.
After holding the lightweight title from April 2010 to February 2012, Edgar has the chance to be a world champion again when he faces Jose Aldo for an interim featherweight title at UFC 200 on July 9 in Las Vegas.
The UFC's only two-division champions ever are Randy Couture and BJ Penn.
With Edgar on the cusp of history, he was asked Wednesday about the possibility of becoming a contender at bantamweight. Aldo owns a decision win over Edgar at UFC 156, and Edgar was reluctant to discuss his thoughts on the matter.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself," Edgar said at a press conference in New York on Wednesday, according to MMAjunkie's Mike Bohn and Justin Park.
"It seems whatever weight class I go to, people are telling me to go to a lower one. I want to make sure I get this 145-pound belt back first. Then we'll see. It's going to be tough to pass that up to be a possible three-division champion."
Even if Edgar avenges his loss to Aldo, the interim belt won't mean as much to him as the real thing, currently held by Conor McGregor. Edgar has been on a tear in his last five fights, with finishes of Penn, Cub Swanson, and Chad Mendes that all but guaranteed him a title shot.
McGregor's dalliances in bigger weight classes have interfered with his featherweight responsibilities, however, leaving the best 145ers competing for a lesser belt. Edgar hopes that perception will change, regardless of whether or not he manages to get a McGregor match.
"Interim title isn't the same thing, and we want that real title," Edgar said. "If Conor ever does come back to featherweight, I'm ready. I'm going to be ready, and it's going to be different this time, and I'm walking home with the belt. It's the No. 1 contender belt; it's what you call it really. But I do have a feeling Conor may never come back to 145, so in time, this belt will be the real belt."
And if Edgar can pull off the historic feat, he'll steal McGregor's thunder without having to lay a fist on him.
"Being a two-division champion is something I've been trying to do for a while since I first fought Aldo," Edgar said. "(On) July 9, there's going to be a two-division champion, and his name isn't going to be Conor McGregor, either."