UFC legend and future Hall of Famer, Frankie Edgar will fight Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281 in November according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto:
Edgar will look to extend his UFC record total fight time inside the Octagon, and cap off an incredible career spanning 14 years and three weight classes with a win at the mecca of fighting, Madison Square Garden.
In honour of “The Answer’s” retirement, let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from his career.
Lightweight Title Reign
Edgar captured the 155-pound UFC title by beating MMA legend B.J. Penn and made his first title defense in an immediate rematch. Edgar dominated Penn in a one-sided affair, putting to bed questions that had arisen from a close first matchup.
His next defense was a rematch with Gray Maynard. Maynard was the only man who had beaten Frankie Edgar at that point of his otherwise unblemished MMA career. The match ended in a draw. Edgar survived an early onslaught from Maynard, before winning later rounds in the fight to retain the belt, in what would become one of the all-time great comebacks in MMA. A trilogy fight followed, and Edgar closed the book on a storied MMA rivalry with a knockout victory.
Edgar then defended his belt against former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson. Edgar lost a unanimous but razor-close decision. The UFC booked an immediate rematch because the fight was so tight to score. The rematch was even closer. Henderson won by split decision, but the majority of media members and fans believed Edgar had done enough to win back his title. This would be the last time Edgar fought at lightweight.
Edgar’s exploits at 155 pounds were made all the more impressive by the fact he fought at his natural weight. Edgar routinely only cut one or two pounds to make the championship limit, and so competed against fighters who had a significant size and strength advantage over him. Despite this, Edgar rarely seemed overmatched.
Dropping Down
Following his second loss to Henderson, Edgar dropped to featherweight – the weight class that many thought he always belonged at. Edgar fought at lightweight at the time he fought for the lightweight belt, the UFC did not have a featherweight division. The merger with the WEC became official on 1 January 2011.
For his efforts at lightweight, Edgar was rewarded with an immediate title shot against Jose Aldo, but lost in a one-sided affair. Undeterred, Edgar then put together a five-fight winning streak beating Charles Oliviera, B.J. Penn (for a third time), Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber, and Chad Mendes. This run earned him a rematch with Jose Aldo at UFC 200 for the interim featherweight title, ultimately losing by decision.
Edgar would put together one more title run at 145 pounds, this time to face Max Holloway. Again Edgar came up short, which ended his aspirations of becoming a two-weight UFC champion. He later dropped down to bantamweight, where he will fight his final bout against Gutierrez.
It will bring the curtain down on a superb career, and one that I believe will eventually earn him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
What is your favourite moment from Edgar’s UFC career? Let me know on Twitter @LewisGloverMMA!
