Trending News|September 16, 2015 11:31 EDT
Frankie Edgar News: Fighter Confirms Stand-In Status for UFC 194; Tate Opens Up on Losing Chance to Fight Rousey
The massive showdown between UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and interim champion Conor McGregor is still a little less that three months away, but the UFC has already a contingency plan in place should one of the two fighters get injured before now and their Dec. 12. His name is Frankie Edgar.
"If someone gets hurt, I'm the guy stepping in, and that's from Dan White," Edgar disclosed in an interview with UFC.com. "You can print that in bold letters."
The former lightweight champion is scheduled to face Chad Mendes on Dec. 11 at the main event of the Ultimate Fighter Season 22 Finale in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"I want that title," Edgar said. "That, to me, is the most important thing. Conor may be the money fight, but when you win a title that stays with you forever. Money comes and goes. You're a champ for the rest of your life. I did at 155 and I want to do it at 145."
Aldo has had unfortunate luck heading into his title fights, having had to withdraw from title defenses due to various injuries during his reign as UFC champion.
In the women's side of the UFC, No. 1 bantamweight contender Miesha Tate, who was previously tabbed as the next challenger to champion Ronda Rousey's throne before being bypassed for Holly Holm, opened up on the promotion's decision to give someone else a chance to challenge Rousey.
"I found out later than half the world even because I was still asleep, I guess, when it was announced," Tate said. "I woke up to about 30 texts on my phone saying, "oh, I'm really sorry.' I was just like, what? It kind of sucked not finding out from the promotion itself. I felt a little bit disappointed. My feelings were kind of hurt to be honest, and I was really bummed out," Tate said during the Invicta FC 14 broadcast this past Saturday.
"I was really motivated, and I really felt that I had hit a new level. I was training for her already. I didn't take any time off after my last fight. It really shot me in the heart. I though that was what I was going to get. The world thought that's what I was going to get. It was a pretty heartbreaking process for me."
