Frankie Edgar Talks Managing Fighters After UFC 281
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will be making his last walk into the UFC cage at UFC 281.
Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will be making his last walk into the UFC cage at UFC 281. He will be doing it in Madison Square Garden, a venue once off-limits to the sport of MMA because the sport was not even legal in New York when Edgar started his career. On Saturday, he gets to fight his last fight in the world’s most famous arena and for New Jersey native, he feels like he has already won.
That’s what he told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto when he spoke about facing Chris Gutierrez. “I won already,” Edgar said, adding, “I feel like I won life already. I lived a dream, I’m content with whatever happens for sure.”
The dream was had for sure as Edgar’s career began in 2005. A time when the UFC was not the Endeavor Group Holdings media monster it is now or was ever even close to being. Guys like Edgar fought for the glory that comes with competition. He told Okamoto and the media in attendance at the UFC 281 press conference, “I want to win this fight just as badly as I wanted to win a fight in fifth grade.”
Edgar has always been present in his journey, but he knows every journey has its ups and downs. Enough downs in combat sports at the age of 41, are usually not good for one’s long-term health. But that’s for regular people, not for guys like Edgar who said he feels he could make another run at a title, but also said he’d like to see what’s next in his story.
What’s next might keep Edgar still in the fight business as he expressed an interest in helping up-and-coming fighters manage their careers. Edgar said, “I have a lot to share with people. I was pretty much Ali’s (Abdelaziz of Dominance MMA Management) first client and I think I can help him in this game too. Ali does a great job with his guys, I know I would learn a lot from him. I would try to take his path a little bit but just put my little style on it. A guy that has fought there that’s been a champion. I don’t think you’ve seen that yet.”
Edgar won the UFC lightweight title when he first faced BJ Penn at UFC 112 and successfully defended the title three times before losing to Benson Henderson in 2012. He would make the move to featherweight and would always circle that title up until 2019. The recent string of losses along with his age is what is putting retirement in Edgar’s thoughts now, but not many 41-year-olds go down in weight when their careers come to a close.
This past year, the guard in MMA has changed a lot and the term “legend” being used in conjunction with a fighter’s name means retirement is looming. Edgar has been a champion and beat many fighters that were intended to beat him before he made a choice to make this upcoming fight his last. If you have any questions about the grit Edgar possesses, well, that’s why they call him, “The Answer.”
