Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar call on UFC to make fight
Frankie Edgar says a fight vs. Conor McGregor would be great and that ultimately it’s up to McGregor if he wants the matchup. (1:21)
Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar exchanged tweets on Wednesday saying they’re ready for a fight. Now they must wait for the UFC to actually make the bout happen.
After a post by the UFC’s Twitter account celebrating Edgar’s 38th birthday, McGregor chimed in, wishing his fellow fighter a happy birthday and saying “see you in December.”
Q: Whose birthday is it!? 🎈
A: @FrankieEdgar pic.twitter.com/EqUP2wNrPg
Edgar replied shortly after, saying “Thanks pal, I said yes already it’s on you and @danawhite to make it happen.”
Five minutes later, McGregor shot back and not only offered his support to the fight, but offered to donate his earnings if the fight was made.
There you go White, make the bout. Give my purse to charity.
First responders.
One for All! @ProperWhiskey
“There you go White, make the bout. Give my purse to charity….”
Discussion about this fight began to heat up in August when McGregor called out Edgar during an interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.
“Frankie has been very respectful. He wanted to say, ‘I want to tell my grandkids that I fought Conor McGregor one day.’ And for me, when I heard that — this is going back many months — when he said that, I messaged Dana straightaway and said that’s the fight to make,” McGregor said.
A McGregor-Edgar fight makes sense to two of the most talented fighters in UFC history, but on Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported the UFC wasn’t ready to move forward just yet, especially not in December.
“Speaking of big fights and someone who could potentially fight in January, the UFC is still very much against the idea of Conor McGregor vs. Frankie Edgar,” Helwani wrote. “They are not budging on this one.”
UFC 244, to be held Dec. 14 in Las Vegas, is currently headlined by Kamaru Usman against Colby Covington, one of three title fights on the card.
Edgar being on board as McGregor’s next fight isn’t new. Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto last week, Edgar reiterated that he’ll happily take the fight if McGregor can pull the right strings to make it happen.
“I told him I want to fight him,” Edgar said. “I told the UFC I want to fight him. But honestly, I don’t think the UFC wants that fight. I don’t know whether they don’t want it because they don’t want him to lose to me or they don’t think they can build it. I don’t know what it is. But ultimately, I think it’s up to him. I think if he forces it, it could happen. The ball is in his court.”
Now, with McGregor adding the pressure, the ball is apparently in the UFC’s court.