MMA
Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Frankie Edgar's longtime coach says he would 'love' to see him at bantamweight

UFC, MMA

Frankie Edgar's longtime head coach, Mark Henry, is still "crushed" over Edgar's knockout loss to Brian Ortega earlier this month, but harbors no concern in his fighter's ability to bounce back.

Edgar (22-6-1) was supposed to face featherweight champ Max Holloway at UFC 222 on March 3, but fought Ortega (14-0) instead after Holloway withdrew with an injury. Ortega won the bout via TKO in the first round, becoming the first fighter to finish Edgar, 36, in his 13-year career.

According to Henry, Edgar has handled the loss in stride and is focused on moving into a new home in New Jersey. Although the loss was the first of its kind for Edgar, Henry believes he looked as good as ever until Ortega caught him with a standing elbow.

"He didn't get hit until 4.5 minutes in," Henry told ESPN. "I thought he was winning the round. Honestly, I was more pumped for this fight than the title. I think he cemented his legacy, taking on anybody, anytime -- and beating a young lion would have shut up everyone asking about his age.

"If he was getting tooled or rocked, I would say it. Getting hit with an elbow is different than a punch. It's a different force. I've seen a lot of guys gets knocked out and they can't remember the fight, asking the same question over and over, wobbly, complaining of a headache. Frankie had none of that."

Prior to UFC 222, the team discussed the possibility of Edgar fighting again as soon as a UFC Fight Night event on April 21 in Atlantic City. Henry says he doesn't see that happening now, following the loss and considering Edgar's hectic schedule outside of competition.

When Edgar does return, Henry admits he'd love for him to make his debut at bantamweight.

Edgar has held the UFC's 155-pound lightweight title but is not even considered big for the 145-pound division. As much as Henry doesn't think Edgar will warm to the idea, he'd love to see what he could do at 135.

"I'll tell you one thing: I would love to see Frankie fight at 135," Henry said. "Every time Frankie has fought somebody his own size, he's done very well.

"I re-watched the fight for the first time this weekend, and all these people had tweeted about how much bigger Brian looked. I watched it and said, 'Holy cow, he was a lot bigger.' It's tough when you're giving up size, height and range. Frankie got caught as he overstepped. He paid the price, but that's what you have to do to compensate for that range. You have to come hard.

"Honestly, I don't think he'll move down unless it's for a title. I think for him, it's a toughness thing. I'm guessing he looks at it as moving down looks like a weakness. Well, that's his weight. If Frankie is 15 pounds less than someone on fight night, that's three weight classes in boxing. That's a lot."

Regardless of Edgar's next move, Henry says the team has zero regret in accepting the Ortega fight. Edgar could have sat and waited for a title shot had he chose to, but in reality that was never a consideration.

"He was going to take the fight regardless of what I told him, but if I had to do it 100 more times, I would tell him to take that fight 100 times," Henry said. "That's the way our camp and Frankie are. If you're not confident in yourself, you should take up a different sport. Fighters that don't want to take fights make me nervous. I have confidence in Frankie against anybody."

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