Frank Edgar looks to continue quiet run toward title shot

Tiffany Brown

Frank Edgar, waits for Sean Sherk to make a move in their lightweight bout at UFC 98 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 23, 2009.

By Brett Okamoto

Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

In late October, Frank Edgar received news that Kurt Pellegrino was withdrawing from their scheduled fight at "The Ultimate Fighter" finale Saturday at The Pearl at The Palms because of an injury.

Shortly thereafter, he received a call from UFC matchmaker Joe Silva informing him that little-known UFC newcomer Matt Veach would be taking Pellegrino’s place.

Although the news meant that the rising Edgar would be putting much at risk against a relatively unknown fighter, he immediately agreed to the change in opponent.

“It’s tough; it’s a little more pressure than usual,” Edgar said of accepting the risk. “But I always put a lot of pressure on myself. A loss is a loss. It doesn’t matter what stage it’s at or who it is you lose to.

“I don’t want to lose any fight. So I kind of just took it that way.”

Following his last performance, it would have been easy for Edgar to assume his next fight would carry title-shot implications.

Edgar looked outstanding through three rounds of action with former lightweight champion Sean Sherk at UFC 98 in May, winning every round on all three scorecards.

With an overall record of 10-1 and fresh off a dominant win, Edgar could have called for a big-name opponent that could set him up with a future date with lightweight champ B.J. Penn.

But as the 28-year-old fighter will tell you, that’s just not his style.

“I’m just going to be me and make it on my own back,” Edgar said. “I don’t see Anderson Silva or Georges St. Pierre calling people out. They just be themselves and win fights and that’s where I’d like to be.”

Even if he does come out with a win over Veach on Saturday, Edgar has no plans of traveling to Memphis next weekend to call out the likes of Penn, Diego Sanchez or Kenny Florian who are all fighting on the UFC 107 card.

He has, however, hired a new manager in Shari Spencer, who also manages St. Pierre, to find him new publicity opportunities.

He’s also expressed the desire to try to finish more fights, as five of his six UFC bouts have gone the distance.

“The 155-pound division is so stacked, there’s a whole lot of top guys not finishing each other,” Edgar said. “But I know that would help move me forward, and it’s something I’m looking to try and improve.”

Although Satruday’s fight won’t produce any immediate No. 1 contenders, Edgar has prepared to have his hands full with the dangerous Veach.

The undefeated Veach (11-0) showed a lot of heart in his UFC debut in February, taking some hard shots from Matt Grice before rallying back to win by TKO in an action-packed first round.

Like Edgar, Veach carries a strong wrestling background and will likely opt to shoot a takedown rather than stand with Edgar through three rounds.

“I expect him to look for a takedown, but he’s definitely got some power in his hands,” Edgar said. “He’s willing to scrap and brawl a little bit. I have to be careful with him. This is a big opportunity for him and I’m kind of going in there blind because he’s an unknown fighter.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com.