Frankie Edgar said he was done fighting. But the call of combat pulled him back in.
Next month, Edgar will end his three-year retirement from combat sports when he takes on Jimmie Rivera in the featured bout at BKFC 82 in Newark, NJ. The UFC Hall of Famer ended his MMA career on a three-fight losing streak in 2022; however, when BKFC showed up in his backyard, the New Jersey native couldn’t resist trying out a different combat sport he’s grown fond of.
“We’re in Jersey. You guys came here. It’s hard
to pass up,” Edgar said at the BKFC 82 press conference on Thursday. “As soon as I saw this sport I was very intrigued. I’m a fighter. This is definitely the fightiest of all combat sports, you know what I mean? I had to try it out. Why not do it here?”
Despite his many accomplishments, Edgar ended his career on a tough run, getting knocked out three consecutive times, the last one being by Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281 in what was supposed to be his retirement fight. But now Edgar says he’s feeling good again and ready to try something new.
“It’s intriguing,” Edgar said. “I used to fight for free at Seaside with no gloves, so why not get paid to do it here in Newark? Training has been awesome. Training just for boxing, I mean, my neck feels great. No one is hanging on my neck, my shoulders feel great. It’s amazing.”
A former collegiate wrestler, Edgar had a 36-fight MMA career highlighted by claiming the UFC lightweight title and defending it three times. “The Answer” also challenged for the featherweight title three times and even competed at bantamweight. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2024.
At 43 years old, Edgar likely does not have a prolonged run in BKFC ahead of him, something even he acknowledges, considering he already is supposed to be retired. For Edgar, he’s taking this part of his career one day at a time.
“I said I’d never fight again, and here I am,” Edgar said. “So who is going to take me for my word really? Let’s see how this first one goes and we’ll take it from there.”
BKFC 82 is headlined by a “King of Violence” title fight between Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens.
