Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar Headed to Featherweight Division

---

Frankie Edgar has decided to join the UFC featherweight ranks.

The news was announced during Tuesday’s episode of “UFC Tonight” on Fuel TV. Additionally, the promotion confirmed the report via the official UFC Twitter feed following the broadcast. It is currently unknown when Edgar will make his debut at 145 pounds; the fighter’s management could not be immediately reached for comment.

Edgar, 30, captured the UFC lightweight title in 2010 by outpointing B.J. Penn in a controversial decision at UFC 112. “The Answer” emerged the clear cut victor in the rematch, however, once again earning a unanimous nod over Penn four months later.

Back-to-back confrontations with Gray Maynard would come next, the first of which earned “Fight of the Year” honors from Sherdog.com in 2011. Edgar was battered from pillar to post in the first round of that UFC 125 contest but survived the onslaught and battled back to hear the final horn. Following the split draw verdict delivered by the judges, Edgar and Maynard squared off again last October at UFC 136, with Maynard once again punishing the New Jersey native in the first frame. Edgar engineered another comeback and this time left the judges out of the equation, knocking out “The Bully” in the fourth round to retain his title.

Most recently, Edgar was bested twice by Benson Henderson, relinquishing the lightweight belt to “Smooth” at February’s UFC 144 before dropping a controversial unanimous decision in the rematch just 10 days ago at UFC 150.