The case for Frankie Edgars title shot

Author:

Chael Sonnen

Keywords:

MMA,mixed martial arts,Chael Sonnen,UFC,Bellator,Ultimate Fighting Championships,Bellator MMA,MMA Fights,MMA podcast,Beyond the Fight,Chael Sonnen podcast,mma fights,Fighter,Bad Guy Inc,Frankie Edgar,Max Holloway,Alexander Volkanovski,Holloway vs Edgar,UFC featherweight Champion,dana white,title shot,mma news,mma fighting,Joes Aldo,zabit magomedsharipov,zabit magomedsharipov full fight,combat sports

Subtitles:

Frankie Edgar is going to be taking on max Holloway I told you guys this the other day and I added that Frank Jaeger was my favorite fighter and then I told you we would get back to that now I've told this story before but many of you have asked me what I was alluding to on Wednesdays program so I'll retell the story but not only is Frankie really fun guy to watch not only is he tremendously successful so if you're looking for a man who I can go ahead and jump on the Agra train but I had had a fight I believe it was in Houston I think it was in Houston now I forget it wasn't Houston and Frankie Edgar was the main event that night he was taking on Benson Henderson in a rematch World Championship on the line big deal headline main event and I had my fight ko main event spot I'm leaving the arena and as I leave the arena I passed this young man who's all dressed up in Tapout gear he's got the shirt on he's got wristbands that I didn't know they were selling he looks like a fight fan young man I would probably hit him at about 11 years old and I spot him on my way out somehow we engage each other and I say do you want to meet the boys and he said yeah so I said who's your dad and he turns around he points to a guy and I said I'll bring I'll bring your son back and I lift him over the rail and boom off we go into the back so I'm taking him from locker room to locker room introducing him to the guys picture autograph he had a book with him some kind of a UFC book and he had a marking pin and so the guys had something to sign real easy natural fit and I get into one locker room and within a locker room is a locker room now that is reserved for the main event everybody backstage will stay together red corner goes here blue corner goes here except the main event they get their own locker rooms so I'm aware of that fact but I wasn't aware that Frankie was in there so I open up the backstage as a mess no two of them look the same right it's all concrete and walls and don't but it's a you don't know we finding a bathroom backstage there could be 20 of them but you don't know where they are you got to start opening doors so within the locker room there's another door I think that's gonna take us out I know it takes me into another locker room there's Frankie Henry loved his immediate team I just interrupted him I mean he is in his final moments about to walk to take on Benson Henderson fight for a world championship and I quickly say Frankie I am so sorry I did not know you were in here and this young man and I start backing out and Frankie stops me because no no what do you need who who do you got with you here so I tell him what this is ty and we're going around doing you know meeting the guys but we'll get to you later and Frankie stops us again it goes no no no he wants he wants an autograph I'll do it so ty gets his book out he's got a Frankie picture and Frankie signs it as Frankie signing it bruh Bert is yelling we rollin and we rollin it was a backstage term created by Bert Watson meaning it's your time it is your time to take your shirt off and walk through the cage and fight another man big moment I shouldn't have been there to interrupt it Frankie made Bert wait live TV made him wait until that autograph was done now that only took a matter of seconds okay send it delay the show nobody was upset with Frankie but all I'm saying is that gesture that moat that realness when Ty and I interrupt the guy that's about to walk to a cage come on come on it'll be my favorite fighter forever oh and you've never you won't get a story like that at least I won't I actually have a recap to that story so this was back in 2011 okay a number of months ago as in this year a number of months ago somewhere in 2019 I was in New York I'm coming back to the hotel and that's where some of the fans are at the hotel and in fact it was a night it would have been the end of last year because it was the night that Daniel Cormier fought Derek Lewis at Madison Square Garden I'm walking back from Madison Square Garden to the hotel which is kiddy corner and this young guy comes up to me and he says hey do you remember me and I didn't recognize him in the least and he says you took me backstage one time and we met Frankie Edgar he just says this to me on the streets I said and I knew his that I remember his name only done that one time I remember ty I remember Frank I remember the whole story I remember the whole day like it was yesterday but I hadn't seen ty that would have been eight years so an 11-year old is now a college student and I got my recap but that was the story many of you asked me what I was alluding to and I said Frankie was my favorite story that's the story but to go back to volcán Oski because there has been some dialog since we talked last and the dialogue was does Frankie deserve the shot is that the right guy the argument against Frankie was Vulcan ah skis resume of which I believe is 20 and one including a win over the former world champion in Jose Aldo I get it I got no problem with it I won't even dispute it but to act as though resumes are the only litmus test is false okay the fight is coming up I believe July 6th don't hold him I could be off a day but international fight week between Frankie and Max if volcán offski was to be given that fight on that specific imagine how that would go volcán oski right now is in a hospital and I believe the country of Chile for a blood infection that he received somewhere between fight and Jose a aldo and right now he's also basking in the glow of the victory he's also arguably the number one content a lot of moving parts how do you go to the guy and go oh by the way as soon as you get out of this hospital bed start training because you have a fight in two months no that's not gonna work boss can I ask you would have loved the opportunity may have even taken it yeah he's a rough guy he may have even taken it but that would have been appropriate what would have been appropriate is to find the guy who's right and you can even Argo punkin Oskie you could puts a beat in there it's not just between Frankie and volcano so you could throw the beat in there and make a very good argument you would probably lose it you could make a very good argument you get three guys you've established your three guys okay great you've done a very good job of you get the give it down to three and many don't even includes a beat except for myself so now you've got the argument down to two you did a great job but the litmus test isn't just a resume it is also a willing and able body and that is where the dates seem to really line up which gives you the one choice which is Frank Jaeger the other side of this coin for Vulcan Askia normally I would not say oh it's good to sit out it's good to sit out and wait never I hate that drives me crazy and it's not effective historically right what have you done for me lately is a very real thing in this business you can't just step out with Vulcan asking it may be the one time where you can the dates may line up again between him recovering from the Joe's a war from him enjoying the moment that he most certainly deserves to him recovering from this blood infection which I'm somewhat glossing over I I trusted it's something I can gloss over he'll be treated well this will be a distant memory perhaps I need to show a little bit more seriousness on that notebook I seem to think he's gonna be just fine it would seem that it lines up perfectly for him to compete later in the year against the winner of the contest between Max and Frankie I'm only offering you guys that because there's all it's always devil's advocate right no matter what decision is made and we wait on bended knee for these decisions but as soon as they are made we then come out and tell them everything that they did wrong well there's a little bit more to it so before you compare the two guys records or even what they did last and that's a very relevant part you're not wrong for doing that just to understand I'm also not wrong for telling you it's a part and there's several parts I think this one makes the most sense but I also think that it will line up very nicely for Vulcan offski ends a beat they have a little argument see who slides in they're likely that's going to go to Vulcan offski