Frankie Edgar reveals why he will retire after fighting Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar revealed why he will retire after fighting Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281 next weekend.
Edgar, considered one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, recently turned 41 years old. Although he is the No. 12 ranked bantamweight in the UFC at the moment, he has already announced that his fight against Gutierrez next weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, will be his last.
Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Damon Martin, Edgar revealed why he is stepping away from MMA.
“It’s a lot of things I would think. “Kind of the way my fights have been going as of late led to that as well. My body, I am getting older. I feel great. In camp, I’m such a strong minded person that I always have great camps. I always feel good but the body takes its toll throughout the years and I just want to move on and see what’s next,” Edgar said. “I know I can’t fight forever. I could definitely string it on a couple more years probably but I know I’ll never move on to what’s the next chapter in my life. I think now I’m being selfish when I’m still trying to chase this and I’ve got a family and kids that want to have goals of their own. They want me around and probably want me to be able to speak good and have my wits about me. I just know it’s probably the best time.”
Edgar has been in the UFC since 2007, making him one of the promotion’s longest-tenured fighters. Overall, he has an 18-10-1 record in the UFC, which includes fights at 135lbs, 145lbs, and 155lbs. He was the former UFC lightweight champion, having defended his belt several times, and he also fought for gold at featherweight on multiple occasions. Clearly, he’ll be a Hall of Famer when it’s all said and done.
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