All title fights provide a milestone moment for a fighter. It’s the main goal for almost all who step into the Octagon. With that said, Holloway and Edgar can each add a notable notch to their already loaded resumes.
For Holloway, it’s another chance to carve out his status as the greatest featherweight of all-time. Although some would still ride with Jose Aldo, Holloway’s back-to-back third-round TKOs have done enough for the conversation to at least be a debate.
The Hawaiian was quick to refute that claim himself after beating Ortega in Toronto, saying he has a lot to do before he passes the Brazilian, but the performances speak for themselves. A win against Edgar adds another legend to Holloway’s list with challengers like Alexander Volkanovski and Zabit Magomedsharipov vying for their shot at his belt.
“The mindset that I have is just do what you got to do,” Holloway said. “The number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world – I ain’t talking about number two, number three – I see people being like, ‘Oh, yeah. I got these guys and blah, blah, blah. I’m this rank.’ If I ain’t number one, don’t put me in (the rankings). Like (Will Ferrell’s movie character) Ricky Bobby once said, ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last.’ And that’s for sure. That’s the real thing. All jokes aside, I try to be number one, and the number one guy on that should be willing to fight anybody.”
If it feels like Edgar has been around forever, it’s because it’s true. Since 2007, Edgar shared a classic trilogy with Gray Maynard, beat BJ Penn three times, and had two shots at both Benson Henderson and Jose Aldo. Of his last 17 fights, eight had a belt on the line, and a win against Holloway would lift Edgar up as the eighth fighter to win a UFC title in two different divisions.
“I think my career speaks for itself,” Edgar said. “What I’ve done, I’ve been in the UFC for almost 13 years now. Winning has a way of taking care of things, and I won a lot of fights in my day.”
In essence, this fight matters in terms of who reigns supreme at the top of the 145-pound division, but individually, this bout carries special terms for Holloway and Edgar.
Zac Pacleb is a writer and producer for UFC.com. You can follow him on Twitter @ZacPacleb.
