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Associated Press
Frankie Edgar from New Jersey, right reacts to losing the title bout against Benson Henderson from Arizona in their middleweight title bout during UFC 150 in Denver, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012.
Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012 | 9:30 p.m.
Frankie Edgar has a chance to become a UFC champion once again.
Less than a month after Edgar controversially lost a unanimous decision and failed in his bid to regain the UFC lightweight championship, he’s back in a title fight. Edgar (14-3-1 MMA, 9-3-1 UFC) meets featherweight champion Jose Aldo (21-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in the main event of UFC 153 Oct. 13 in Rio de Janeiro, according to a USA Today report confirmed by the UFC’s twitter account.
"Frankie has had a tough go the last couple of times with the judges, but a lot of people think he belongs at 145 pounds,” UFC President Dana White told USA Today. “Well, here we go – Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar. People have been wanting to see this fight for a long time."
Edgar replaces the injured Erik Koch in the UFC’s fourth trip to Brazil since 2011. Aldo and Koch were originally slated to meet at UFC 149 last month, but an injury to the champion pushed the date back.
The bout gets a major boost in prestige with Edgar’s inclusion. Aldo and Edgar are both unanimously considered two of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
The Brazilian Aldo has won 13 in a row, a streak dating back to 2006. After going unbeaten for nearly four years, Edgar has now lost two in a row.
But both were controversial decision defeats to Benson Henderson. Edgar announced he would move to featherweight shortly after the UFC 150 setback, but expected to fight at least once before receiving a title shot.
That won’t be necessary.
"Obviously, we've had a rough couple of weeks here at the UFC, and then sure enough, I walk in to work today, and Erik Koch is hurt," White said. "But Frankie Edgar, being the stud and the warrior that he is, steps up and accepts this fight."
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or case.keefer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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