Rematches are nothing new to former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
First, he had to fight BJ Penn twice. Then there was the Gray Maynard trilogy. And who could forget his two fights with Ben Henderson?
Now, he’s capping off a trilogy against Penn, who will debut at featherweight for the bout in July.
“I’m sure I’ll be the favorite now this time around, and people are gonna write BJ off,” Edgar told The Post. “I keep that fresh in my mind because I was written off before, and I proved everyone wrong.”
Coming off a win against Brazilian prospect Charles Oliveira after falling short against featherweight champion Jose Aldo, Edgar’s upcoming rematch against Penn marks a potential new chapter in his UFC career. A third win over “the Prodigy” would make him the only man with three victories over Penn, once lightweight and welterweight champion.
It also marks his first time as a coach on Fox Sports’ “The Ultimate Fighter.” The finale of “Team Edgar vs. Team Penn” takes place July 6 in Las Vegas.
“We trained the TUF guys twice a day, but I made sure I got my training in, too,” Edgar said of the reality show. “I had my coaches all there [to help train the team], so there was no way I wasn’t gonna train.”
With a victory, New Jersey native Edgar could vault back up the rankings and back into title contention at 145 pounds.
“I just got to make sure he doesn’t return the favor,” Edgar said. “For now, my best bet at a title shot is at 145 pounds, and I have no plans to go back to lightweight, so it’s great BJ took this fight.”