NEW YORK – Frankie Edgar is soon to be done with MMA.
The former UFC lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger is hanging up the gloves after almost 20 years of professional fighting. Edgar (24-10-1 MMA, 18-10-1 UFC) has his retirement fight this Saturday on the main card of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden Arena. He takes on Chris Gutierrez (18-3-2 MMA, 6-1-1 UFC) in a bantamweight bout.
Edgar says he’s 100 percent done with MMA, and likely combat sports as a whole. However, he does leave the door open for a big offer in the boxing world.
“This is my last UFC fight, MMA fight for sure,” Edgar told MMA Junkie at the UFC 281 media day on Wednesday. “I’m most likely, 100 percent, it’s my last fight. But if there’s some boxing, maybe (Manny) Pacquiao wants to do an exhibition – I know he’s doing exhibitions now. I can be open to something crazy like that, but it would really, really have to be a good one.”
The 41-year-old fighter has done plenty throughout his time in MMA. In the later stages of his career, he dropped down to featherweight and then bantamweight. In both divisions, he was a top title contender.
But his best work came in the early 2010s when he won the UFC lightweight title from B.J. Penn and defended it three times. The title-winning performance against Penn back in 2010 at UFC 118 remains Edgar’s favorite career memory.
“If I had to pick one, it’s winning the title against B.J. Penn. I’ve been in athletics since I was 10 years old, always trying to be the best at that and I don’t think I ever accomplished it until winning the title. That always stands out to me.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281
