Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and will end his retirement with an October 4 debut against Jimmie Rivera at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The 43-year-old fighter, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2024, announced his excitement about returning to competition in his home state.
Frankie Edgar in BKFC
The UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar originally retired in November 2022 following a brutal first-round knockout loss to Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281. Edgar left the sport on a three-fight losing streak, with all defeats coming by knockout or technical knockout. His final UFC appearance marked the end of a legendary 29-fight career with the promotion.
Championship Run and UFC Career
Frankie Edgar captured the UFC lightweight championship in one of the biggest upsets in the division’s history when he defeated BJ Penn at UFC 112 in April 2010. Fighting at just 5-foot-6 and walking around at 155 pounds, Edgar was considered a massive underdog against the Hawaiian legend. The victory came via unanimous decision with scorecards reading 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47.
The Answer’ Edgar successfully defended his lightweight title three times, placing him in a tie with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson, and BJ Penn for the second-most consecutive title defenses in division history. His championship reign lasted 687 days, making it the third-longest in lightweight division history. Edgar first retained the belt with another unanimous decision victory over Penn in their rematch at UFC 118, then fought to a controversial draw with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 before finally losing the championship to Benson Henderson at UFC 144 in February 2012.
The most memorable moments of Edgar’s title reign came in his trilogy with Gray Maynard. After losing to Maynard in 2008, Edgar survived early knockdowns in their championship rematch to secure a dramatic draw. In the trilogy bout at UFC 136, Edgar completed one of the greatest comebacks in UFC history by knocking out Maynard in the fourth round after being dropped multiple times in the opening frame.
Three-Weight Class Competitor
Following his lightweight championship run, Edgar moved down to featherweight where he challenged for the title on three occasions. He fought Jose Aldo twice for the undisputed featherweight championship at UFC 156 and UFC 200, losing both bouts by unanimous decision. Edgar also challenged Max Holloway for the featherweight title at UFC 240, again falling short via unanimous decision.
Later in his career, Edgar dropped to bantamweight where he secured notable victories including a split decision win over Pedro Munhoz in August 2020. This made Edgar one of the few fighters in UFC history to earn victories across three different weight classes.
During his 29-fight UFC career, Edgar accumulated a record of 24-11-1. He holds the distinction of having the third-longest total fight time in UFC history at 7 hours, 57 minutes, and 10 seconds. Edgar earned eight Fight of the Night bonuses, tying him for fourth-most in UFC history, along with two Performance of the Night awards and one Knockout of the Night bonus.
Hall of Fame Recognition and Legacy
Edgar was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing as part of the Class of 2024. The ceremony took place in June 2024 during UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas. UFC CEO Dana White praised Edgar as “one of the greatest athletes in UFC history” who “consistently fought the best athletes in the world across multiple weight classes for more than 15 years”.
Throughout his career, Edgar defeated numerous UFC contenders, including BJ Penn, Gray Maynard, Sean Sherk, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, and Yair Rodriguez. His fighting style, characterized by constant movement, boxing combinations, and wrestling ability.
Edgar’s transition to bare-knuckle boxing represents a surprising career move, as his wrestling background and boxing-heavy striking style may not translate naturally to the bare-knuckle format. His opponent Rivera, who holds a 2-2-1 record in BKFC, recently challenged for the featherweight title in November 2024. The October 4 event will be headlined by Mike Perry versus Jeremy Stephens for the King of Violence title.
