UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (12-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) believes there's no one quite like B.J. Penn (15-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) to get him ready to fight.
Edgar said taking the belt from "The Prodigy" at UFC 112 has done great things for his confidence, but he also knows it would be a severe mistake to get too comfortable.
He's done his best to make a fresh start when the two square off again at UFC 118 this Saturday at Boston's TD Garden.
"I try not to even think about the title," Edgar said. "This is a totally new fight for me whether it's a title defense or a new fight, old fight – it doesn't matter. It's all the same to me."
The 28-year-old Edgar turned in one of the upsets of the year when he put an end to Penn's two-year reign as lightweight champion. The Toms River, N.J., native did what many thought couldn't be done when he stifled the champion's vaunted striking game and scored two takedowns. Although many observers differed on how the action was scored, those takedowns proved to be a deciding factor, with all three judges awarding him a decision on scores of 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47.
Edgar returned home to a hero's welcome and promptly came back to earth when his second son, Santino, was born a month-and-a-half from the April 10 fight.
There's a long line of contenders waiting in the wings for a shot at the 155-pound belt, including Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard, who battle earlier on UFC 118's main card in what could be a title eliminator. But Edgar is just fine with making them wait.
"I still hold B.J. in high regard," he said. "I mean, he's a legend in this sport and he is still the greatest lightweight of all time. So that's just great for me to fight him because ... for the last fight it made me force myself to bring the best out of me, and now I have to do that again.
"I am sharp as iron, and I think B.J. is really bringing the best out of me."
In preparing for Saturday's fight, Edgar said he and his camp have tried to anticipate how Penn is going to change up his strategy from the first meeting, and how in turn they're going to respond.
He said that while he'd like to repeat his success in taking Penn down again, he's more than fine if the fight stays on its feet.
"B.J.'s a very smart fighter and he's got a good team around him, and I know he's going to come in with a great plan to counter my last fight," Edgar said.
If there's one thing Edgar isn't focused on, it's the judges.
"I really can only focus on myself and what I can do in there," he said. "I really can't worry about what the judges are going to do. I just have to go in and try to (stick to) my gameplan and try to sway the judges my way. But I really can't focus on what their objectives are."
Oddsmakers give Penn the edge in retaking the title on Saturday at -325 to Edgar's +250. Not much of a vote of confidence for a champion, but Edgar isn't too bothered by it. Neither are his friends and family, whom he says will be out in force at the TD Garden and ready to wager a few Benjamins.
"I think my last three or four fights I've been the underdog," Edgar said. "So it's a role I'm becoming comfortable with, so I seem to perform pretty good in this position."
While the role of champion puts a special kind of pressure on the mind, Edgar said his confidence is growing with every fight.
Penn is coming to take his head off, anyway, so he really has no choice but to tuck his chin and go forward.
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