Cody Garbrandt ‘down’ to fight Frankie Edgar at UFC 222

This one is out of left field.

On Monday, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt said he is willing to face top featherweight Frankie Edgar on short notice at UFC 222.

“Ali Abdelaziz, get us paid,” Garbrandt said in response to Edgar’s tweet that said he would fight anyone. “I’m down!”

Edgar was booked to challenge featherweight titleholder Max Holloway in the pay-per-view card’s main event, but “Blessed” pulled out due to an injury this past weekend. Meanwhile, the UFC wanted to book bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 as the new headliner, and Edgar vs. Brian Ortega in a non-title featherweight bout in the co-main event.

Plans changed when Dillashaw turned down the rematch with his teammate-turned-rival, whom he knocked out at UFC 217 to win the 135-pound belt for the second time. Dillashaw said that he doesn’t think Garbrandt deserves an immediate rematch. He also became a father five weeks ago.

Garbrandt said Monday on The MMA Hour that there is still a chance the Dillashaw rematch could happen at UFC 222 — it’s not looking too promising, though. And as of now, the Edgar vs. Ortega plans are not scrapped — that fight seems more likely to happen than the bantamweight title bout. But if neither matchup comes to fruition, Garbrandt is open to the Edgar booking, for which he would have to move up to 145 pounds.

Edgar has yet to respond to Garbrandt’s message. For what it is worth, Abdelaziz manages both Edgar and Garbrandt.

UFC 222 takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 3.