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December - 2014
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
28
Last weekend, the landscape
changed in the UFC feather-
weight division, as Frankie Ed-
gar scored a major win over
Cub Swanson in the headliner
of UFC Fight Night 57 in Aus-
tin. Edgar submitted Swanson
in the dying seconds of the
fifth round with a neck crank
to cap off a performance that
saw Edgar get the better of
Swanson both on the feet and
on the ground.
Of course, the victory means a
lot for Edgar, whose stock defi-
nitely increases with the win,
but Edgar’s dominant showing
did more than just put himself
closer and closer to a poten-
tial rematch with reigning UFC
featherweight champion José
Aldo. In fact, by breaking the
three-year long winning streak
that many thought locked in a
rematch with Aldo for Swan-
son, Edgar actually helped to
shift a lot more focus to the
UFC featherweight ranks.
Ricardo Lamas, one of four
active UFC featherweights to
own a loss to Aldo, recently
toppled Dennis Bermudez,
while top featherweight Chad
Mendes now owns two losses
to Aldo after suffering a close
unanimous decision defeat to
the champ in UFC 179’s head-
liner. Of course, we can’t for-
get about the brash Conor Mc-
Gregor, who makes headlines
on a weekly basis in one con-
text or another, or the tough
task he faces in the form of
Dennis Siver at UFC Fight Night
59. Additionally, guys like Max
Holloway and Cole Miller con-
tinue to make noise under
many MMA fans’ radars, as do
a number of others in the divi-
sion.
Simply put, Edgar’s win over
Swanson means that it’s any-
one’s game in the feather-
weight division. EvenMcGregor
and Lamas can find themselves
on top of the ladder one min-
ute and knocked down a few
rungs the next. With no clear
idea of who may challenge
Aldo next, or at least, no clear
idea until the dust settles with
McGregor vs. Siver, any feath-
erweight can prove themselves
worthy of being considered
the man to beat the man, and
there is no better time for them
to start really stepping up to
the plate than right now.
UFC FN 57:
WHAT FRANKIE
EDGAR’S WIN MEANS TO THE
FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION
Article By: Dale De Souza
Jose Aldo (Gleidson Venga/Sherdog)