Frankie Edgar was initially set for a title shot against featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 218. However, the fighter has since been pulled from the event due to an injury. Now, Edgar has come forward to discuss the injury that sidelined him from one of the biggest match ups of his career.
Speaking to FloCombat, Edgar revealed that he suffered a break in his orbital bone. As a result, the fighter will need six weeks to fully heal from the injury.
“I definitely feel f*cking bummed and in a funk for the past couple of days. I feel like I lost a fight to be honest. I know these opportunities don’t always present themselves. I’m also not one to stay down, be negative, and beat myself up about things. I’m going to heal up, keep training, and make sure I’m ready for that fight when it comes.
“I’m a guy who keeps a positive outlook on things. I’m not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for me either. This is just the type of shit that goes down. It’s inevitable. I train at a high level out here with some really good guys and shit happens. There wasn’t any negligence on my part. I train hard for fights and I always have.
“I almost wish it was a torn MCL or a torn shoulder or something where I could just put a f*cking shot in there and get through it, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” he added. “By the time the end of the year hits, I should be back to 100 percent, doing everything, and getting ready for a fight. I’m game, man. I’d love to be back in the cage in March.”
While Edgar is not too happy with his current situation, the fighter still has his eyes on the prize.
“I haven’t lost sight of my goal, and the goal is to become a world champion. I know I have the ability to do just that. I still feel great and my body has been feeling better than ever lately. This setback doesn’t change that because it’s a different type of injury. I’m not going to lose sight of that belt, and the adversity is just going to make it that much sweeter when it happens.”
As far as what could be next for the fighter, Edgar explained:
“Facing the winner of this fight would be ideal, and that’s definitely what I want. At the same time, I’m sure I’m not in the position to really pick, but that would be ideal. I hope everything works out and goes in my favor so that can happen.”
UFC 218 goes down Dec. 2 and will be available live on pay-per-view. Max Holloway will be looking to make his first title defense as he takes on former champion Jose Aldo in an exciting title fight rematch.
