Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar Think The Winner Of Their Fight Should Get A Title Shot

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar said that the winner of their fight at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale on December 11 should be next in line for a featherweight title fight. This would put them against the winner of Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo at UFC 194. Here are highlights:

Mendes on fighting Edgar: “Frankie is a guy who is right there at the top, you know? This is a fight, in my opinion, that is going to cement the true No. 1 contender. I feel like the winner of this fight should be right back in line for it, whether it’s me or Frankie. Obviously I’ve fought Aldo twice, and Conor for the fake belt. But if you beat a guy like Frankie who’s been just on a tear, then you have no choice but to give the guy who wins that fight a title shot, in my opinion.”

Edgar on getting a title fight: “Speaking to Dana (White), he pretty much said you just don’t know what’s going to happen with Aldo and McGregor. Barring a barnburner between those guys, I think the winner of our fight should get the next title shot, especially with me coming off five straight wins over top notch guys. But again, nothing is guaranteed and I’m not banking on anything. I’m not putting a date on anything. I feel great. I don’t feel like I’m getting older. It’s just the fact that time is ticking and I don’t want to sit around and wait for anything. I do want to stay active, I want to make money. I feel like I’m getting better as I go along, so I don’t want to be sitting dormant at all.”

Mendes on how the fight will go: “I feel like me and Frankie have pretty similar styles, as far as our boxing and wrestling. I feel like I have a little more power. People say he has the speed advantage there. I think ultimately this is going to come down to heart. This is a fight that, I’m not going to back down. I know Frankie is not going to back down. It’s going to come down to grit and who wants it the most. We both have wrestling backgrounds, and we have that ability to grind, so this is a fight that fight IQ is going to play a huge role in.”

Edgar on the fight being unpredictable: “Anything could happen. That’s the beauty of fighting, you never know what’s going to happen, especially with styles like Chad and myself. I think we match up pretty well, so I’m expecting us to touch every part of the Octagon.”