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And the business is about winning the featherweight title against one of the best who’s ever ruled the division. Edgar knows he is an underdog against someone who hasn’t lost at 145 pounds in 13 fights, but that’s nothing new. And it’s not a position he’s concerned about.

“I don’t pay attention to it, but you can’t not see it, either,” Edgar said of the betting line. “It’s a familiar role for me. I’ve been an underdog quite a bit. I’ve been the champion and been the underdog. It’s no big deal for me.

“I expect myself to win. I expect myself to put on a great performance, but knowing that no one else does kind of does take a little pressure off.”

This is the third time they’ve tried to make this fight, with the previous two being scrapped by injuries. The wait helped build anticipation while giving each fighter plenty of time to study the other, but Holloway says good luck if you’re trying to get a bead on a moving target.

“Every time you see me go out there I show something new. This will be no different. You guys are going to be scratching your head saying what did we just watch.”

What people expect to be watching are two guys known for firepower and heart leaving everything they have in the cage. Holloway owns the third best significant striking rate (6.93 per minute) of all time while Edgar is one of the more prolific ground and pound strikers in the company.

“He’s going to go forward and I’m going to go forward,” said Edgar. “It’s about who can push who back.”

And, who knows, maybe they can hang out afterwards.

“He’s a really nice man, people say I’m a really nice man, but this is a fight between two guys who don’t quit,” said Holloway. “This is going to be fun, it’s going to be crazy. We’ll see what happens.”

Twitter.com/rob_tychkowski

rtychkowski@postmedia.com