Frankie Edgar
 |
Name | Frankie Edgar |
| Nickname | The Answer | |
| Association | Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu | |
| Weight Class | Lightweight (155 lbs.) | |
| Height | 5' 6" (168 cm) | |
| Reach | 72.0 in (183 cm) | |
| Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing | |
| Birth Date | October 16, 1981 | |
| Fighting Out Of | Toms River, New Jersey | |
| Country | USA | |
| Frankie Edgar Pictures | Edgar's Official Website |
Frank James "The Answer" Edgar is an American mixed martial artist from Toms River, New Jersey. He currently fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competes in the promotions Lightweight division.
Edgar is a former UFC Lightweight Champion, defeating B.J. Penn by Decision (Unanimous) at UFC 112: Invincible for the title and defending it on three occasions.
Contents |
Professional Record
| Record | 14 - 4 - 1 (Win – Loss – Draw) |
| Wins | 3 (T)KOs 3 Submissions 8 Decisions |
| Losses | 0 (T)KOs 0 Submissions 4 Decisions |
| Result | Opponent | Method | Event Title | Date | Round | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Jose Aldo | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar | 2/2/2013 | 5 | 5:00 | For UFC Featherweight Championship; Fight won Fight of the Night |
| Loss | Benson Henderson | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar 2 | 8/11/2012 | 5 | 5:00 | For UFC Lightweight Championship |
| Loss | Benson Henderson | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson | 2/25/2012 | 5 | 5:00 | Lost UFC Lightweight Championship; Won Fight of the Night |
| Win | Gray Maynard | KO (Punches) | UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard 3 | 10/08/2011 | 4 | 3:54 | Defended UFC Lightweight Championship; Won Knockout of the Night Honors |
| Draw | Gray Maynard | Draw | UFC 125: Resolution | 1/01/2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Defended UFC Lightweight Championship; Scores were 48-46; 46-48; 47-47; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | B.J. Penn | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2 | 8/28/2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Defended UFC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | B.J. Penn | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 112: Invincible | 4/10/2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Won UFC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Matt Veach | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale | 12/05/2009 | 2 | 2:22 | Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Sean Sherk | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida | 5/23/2009 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Hermes Franca | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin | 7/19/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Loss | Gray Maynard | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC Fight Night 13: Florian vs. Lauzon | 4/02/2008 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Spencer Fisher | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 78: Validation | 11/17/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Win | Mark Bocek | TKO (Punches) | UFC 73: Stacked | 7/07/2007 | 1 | 4:55 | |
| Win | Tyson Griffin | Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 67: All or Nothing | 2/03/2007 | 3 | 5:00 | UFC debut; Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | Jim Miller | Decision (Unanimous) | RF 14: Fall Brawl | 11/18/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Defended Reality Fighting Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Deividas Taurosevicius | Decision (Unanimous) | RF 13: Battle at the Beach | 8/05/2006 | 3 | 5:00 | Won Reality Fighting Lightweight Championship |
| Win | Steve McCabe | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | ROC 10: Ring of Combat 10 | 4/14/2006 | 1 | 2:37 | |
| Win | Jay Isip | Technical Submission (Choke) | SF 2: Sportfighting 2 | 12/10/2005 | 1 | 3:26 | |
| Win | Mark Getto | TKO | ROC 9: Ring of Combat 9 | 10/29/2005 | 1 | 4:21 | |
Biography
Edgar wrestled at Toms River High School East, making it to the New Jersey state championship tournament on two occasions. He continued wrestling at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he qualified for the nationals all four years there.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
Edgar entered into his first mixed martial arts fight with only a few weeks of training outside of his wrestling background. Edgar originally trained with Rob Guarino of Rhino Fight Team, but today he is part of the Gracie system under Ricardo Almeida in Hamilton, New Jersey. Since 7th Grade Frank has wrestled with Steve Rivera at Elite Wrestling NJ in Jackson, New Jersey and last year added Rutgers University to his resume, where he assists coaching. His boxing trainer is Mark Henry out of Millstone, New Jersey.
UFC Career
Edgar amassed a 5-0 record before making his UFC debut in 2007 at UFC 67: All or Nothing. He faced fellow undefeated fighter Tyson Griffin in a back-and-forth battle. Griffin caught Edgar in a deep Kneebar at the end of the fight, but Edgar refused to tap and lasted out the remainder of the round to win by Unanimous Decision. He and Griffin earned Fight of the Night Honors, and the fight has been frequently rebroadcast on UFC Unleashed.
Edgar followed up with a first-round TKO victory over Mark Bocek at UFC 73: Stacked. He next made his main card debut at UFC 78: Validation against veteran fighter Spencer Fisher and won via Unanimous Decision.
Edgar suffered his first professional career loss at UFC Fight Night 13: Florian vs. Lauzon against Xtreme Couture product, Gray Maynard. Though the underdog, Maynard used his size and wrestling prowess to overpower Edgar en route to a Unanimous Decision victory. Edgar quickly rebounded with another Fight of the Night award winning victory against former WEC Lightweight Champion Hermes Franca at UFC Fight Night 14: Silva vs. Irvin.
Edgar was next scheduled to fight former UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk at UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida. Sherk was coming off a win over Tyson Griffin, a fighter whom Edgar has previously defeated, while Edgar was coming off a win over Hermes Franca, a fighter whom Sherk defeated to defend his title back in 2007. Edgar won his biggest fight to date, by defeating the former champion by Decision (Unanimous), further cementing himself in the Lightweight title picture.
Edgar was expected to face Kurt Pellegrino on December 5, 2009 at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale, but an injured knee forced Pellegrino off the card. Pellegrino was replaced by H.I.T. Squad member Matt Veach, who was first supposed to face Mark Bocek on the same card, but stepped up to face Edgar instead. Veach frustrated Edgar early on with effective takedowns, though Edgar used his range to control the later parts of the first round. By the second round Edgar was in clear control of the fight, and after a series of combinations, dropped his opponent with a right hand and soon after locked in a Rear Naked Choke to end the fight. The bout earned Edgar his third Fight of the Night Honors.
UFC Lightweight Championship
By the time of his win over Veach, Edgar's name was in the mix as a possible next Lightweight title challenger for the belt held by B.J. Penn. The only other name besides Edgar was Gray Maynard, who faced Nate Diaz on January 11, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 20, earning a sloppy Decision (Split) win. The lackluster performance by Maynard seemed to take him out of the picture, as it was announced on January 12, 2010 that Edgar would be the next challenger to Penn's Lightweight title. The bout took place at UFC 112: Invincible, in Abu Dhabi.
With Penn sporting a knee brace that left questions regarding his fitness heading into the fight, the former champion looked uninterested in working the fight to the ground. In fact, the two times the fight did hit the floor, albeit momentarily, were at Edgar's choosing. Penn countered well on the feet and seemed to be landing the more powerful shots in the early stages of the fight. But Penn's nemesis, conditioning, looked to play a role in the final three rounds while Edgar only improved as time went on. The action stayed tight throughout, and scoring the fight at timed seemed reminiscent of the challenges presented by Lyoto Machida and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua's October 2009 bout. But in the end, though all three judges delivered different scores, they reached one conclusion: Edgar had unseated one of the world's top pound-for-pound fighters. Edgar won the UFC Lightweight Championship with a Decision (Unanimous).
With the win, there were numerous rumors about who Edgar's first title defense would be against. It was a possibility that B.J. Penn would get an immediate re-match, but Gray Maynard's name was also in the mix, as he was still the only fighter to hand Edgar a loss, and was also in title contention. In the end, the UFC decided to give Penn the re-match with Edgar, and have Maynard face Kenny Florian in a #1 contender matchup.
His re-match with B.J. Penn took place on August 27, 2010 at UFC 118: Edgar vs. Penn 2. Edgar picked up where he left off in April and continued battering the Hawaiian with strikes from all angles. He really set the tone early, though, with a cage-rattling slam-takedown. Fearing additional trips to the mat, Penn became a bit flatfooted, and Edgar moved in and out with punches and kicks from all angles. Though Penn attempted his own offense, including takedown attempts, it was ultimately Edgar dominating the fight, earning a Decision (Unanimous) on all the judges scorecards to retain his title.
- "B.J. really brought the best out in me," said Edgar. "I knew he was going to come in tough again. It was close the first time, and I just wanted to make a point."
Gray Maynard went on to win a Decision (Unanimous) over Kenny Florian at the same event, earning a shot at Edgar's title.
Personal Life
Frankie and his wife Renee got married ten days after UFC Fight Night 13: Florian vs. Lauzon. The couple had a son named Francesco in January 2009.
Edgar was a featured fighter on True Life: I'm a Mixed Martial Artist, leading up to his fight with Gray Maynard.
Edgar appears on UFC 2009 Undisputed, the video game.
Ranks and Titles
Wrestling
- Two-time State Place Winner for New Jersey
- 2nd in H.S. Nationals in 2000
- Four-time Division I National Qualifier for Clarion University
- College Freestyle All-American in 2004
Mixed Martial Arts
- UFC Lightweight Champion (2010)
- Reality Fighting 155 lbs. Champion
- Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
