(Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLC
Frankie Edgar, the 43-year-old UFC Corridor-of-Famer who retired from the UFC in 2022 is making a comeback to fight sports activities.
On Monday, the Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani reported the information: Edgar is unretiring and set to compete within the Naked Knuckle Preventing Championship on October 4 in his hometown of New Jersey. To place it plainly, it appears that evidently nearly everybody apart from Edgar believes this can be a dangerous thought.
Edgar shall be going through one other former UFC fighter in Jimmie Rivera on the cardboard set for the Prudential Heart. The one factor standing between Edgar and this comeback seems to be a passing grade from the New Jersey State Athletic Management Board.
Edgar’s return will happen on a high-profile BKFC card headlined by Mike Perry vs. Jeremy Stephens for the promotion’s “King of Violence” title. The occasion is predicted to be one of many firm’s greatest of 2025.
The transfer has Edgar again into the highlight nearly three years after he left his gloves within the Octagon. He had taken a sequence of losses through savage knockout. It appeared the definitive nature of these losses pushed him to stroll away from combating.NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 12: (R-L) Chris Gutierrez knocks out Frankie Edgar in a light-weight bout through the UFC 281 occasion at Madison Sq. Backyard on November 12, 2022 in New York Metropolis. (Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Zuffa LLC
In his prime, Edgar was the most effective within the sport.
He’s a former UFC light-weight champion and featherweight contender. Whereas he was by no means a giant striker–which makes this determination all of the extra perplexing–Edgar constructed his repute on coronary heart and resilience.
He scored career-defining over B.J. Penn in 2010 and had iconic fights towards Grey Maynard.BOSTON – AUGUST 28: Frank Edgar (R) connects with a punch to the face of BJ Penn throughout their UFC 118 light-weight title bout on the TD Backyard on August 28, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photograph by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures)Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures
Over the course of his profession he collected wins towards different stars like Charles Oliveira, Urijah Faber, and Chad Mendes. Edgar was a no-doubt alternative for the UFC Corridor of Fame when he was inducted in 2024.
His last UFC stretch was brutal, although.
Edgar went 2-6 throughout his final eight bouts, struggling 4 knockout losses, together with a violent end in his retirement battle towards Chris Gutierrez. That decline, mixed along with his age, is why many followers and analysts are calling this return harmful.
I searched feedback throughout a number of social media platforms and I couldn’t discover a single particular person supporting this concept.
The Ring Journal’s Wade Plemons stated:
The MMA Bee posted a Breaking Dangerous GIF and captioned it, “Don’t do it, Frankie.”
Others stated, “can’t take one other Frankie spotlight reel loss.”
“Oh my god, it’s loopy a few of these guys simply don’t care concerning the injury they’ve taken, I don’t perceive it, why Frankie.”
We might seemingly go on without end.LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 27: On this handout picture offered by UFC, (R-L) Jimmie Rivera punches Pedro Munhoz of Brazil in a bantamweight bout through the UFC Combat Night time occasion at UFC APEX on February 27, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures)Zuffa LLC through Getty Pictures
Rivera, in the meantime, presents a respectable problem. The 34-year-old former UFC contender has been with BKFC since 2021, tallying a 2-2-1 report. His greatest bare-knuckle efficiency got here in a 2024 win over ex-Bellator champion Daniel Straus.
In November 2024, he dropped a call to BKFC featherweight champ Kai Stewart, however he appears far healthier to be harmful on this format in comparison with Edgar.
To place it as plainly as doable, this appears like a horrible thought in each means.
Edgar’s age, talent set (his base is wrestling) and the truth that he misplaced three consecutive fights and 5 of his final six resulting in his retirement ought to inform us one thing. Apparently, the one that most likely ought to have gotten the message as loud and clear as anybody doesn’t consider it.
I don’t know Edgar’s monetary state of affairs, and I hope he’s not in dire straits on that finish. I additionally know it’s doable BKFC made him a horny provide.
That stated, this simply doesn’t really feel proper. We’ll see a warrior with a reputation competing, however he’s prone to be a shadow of himself competing in a sport that wouldn’t have been his specialty even in his prime.
