Issue 092
September 2012
Former UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar is one of the sport’s most admirable fighters. Battling much larger men, he uses his speed, technique and heart to provide fans with highlight-reel performances
1 The Beginning: After trying out for season five of The Ultimate Fighter, but falling at the final hurdle – the interview with the TV producers – Edgar must have done enough to impress the men that really mattered, Dana White and Joe Silva, since two weeks later he was asked to face Tyson Griffin at UFC 67. With undefeated records on the line (Edgar at 5-0, Griffin at 8-0) they battled at a furious, entertaining pace for the full three rounds. Late in the third, Griffin trapped Edgar with what looked like a fight-ending kneebar but, showing the guts and tenacity he’d later be famous for, Edgar held on, stubbornly refusing to quit. Edgar earned the decision win and his and Griffin’s performance earned each man a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus – the first of five he’s earned to date.
2 The Upset: Even with a UFC record of 6-1 and three straight wins, including masterful boxing against former champ Sean Sherk, few gave Edgar much chance of beating lightweight champion BJ Penn at UFC 112 in Abu Dhabi. Entering the Octagon as an 8-1 underdog, Edgar took a unanimous decision in a very close fight. Some people howled ‘robbery’ at the 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47 scores and the controversy ensured a rematch five months later at UFC 118 where Edgar successfully defended his title, clearly winning every round, outstriking Penn 119–23 in the last three. This time, no-one argued about it.
3 The Survivor: Having been outmuscled and outsized on the way to a decision defeat in their first fight back in April 2008, most observers picked challenger Gray Maynard to beat Edgar almost three years later. The first round of their UFC 125 title fight could barely have been worse for Edgar – dropped three times by Maynard’s punches, bleeding and staggering around like a drunken sailor – he earned a huge cheer from the crowd just for surviving the onslaught. Yet Edgar came back, winning the second round and using his speed and technique against his tiring opponent. Edgar remained in charge for much of the last four rounds but, given the beating he’d taken in the first, their draw was a fair result.
4 The Knockout: Ten months after their epic title fight, Edgar and Maynard battled again at UFC 136. Amazingly, Edgar again had to survive a first-round beating but aside from that opening drama the fight was nothing like as exciting as the previous one. Maynard looked more tired this time around and at times the pace slowed to a dismal rate. However, unable to match Edgar’s speed, Maynard fell victim to a left uppercut, followed by a couple of hard right hands, the first hurting him and the second sending him to the mat where Edgar followed up with a handful of shots before the fight was waved off. It proved Edgar can finish fights at the top level and ensured there would be no more arguments about who came out on top of his trilogy with ‘The Bully.’
5: The Negotiator: Main eventing the UFC’s return to Japan for the first time since 2000, Edgar faced Benson Henderson, and had another superb, close fight. Despite dropping Henderson in the fifth, Edgar didn’t land enough shots to win and Henderson walked away with the title. However, plenty thought Edgar had sneaked the victory and cried ‘robbery.’ Edgar’s negotiating in the days that followed were fantastic as the UFC announced that Henderson would defend his lightweight title against old foe Anthony Pettis. However, Edgar and his team argued that since they had given Penn and Maynard rematches they deserved the same courtesy. And they absolutely did.
