Issue 117

July 2014

Frankie Edgar might be helping the victims of Hurricane Sandy piece their lives back together, but when he fights BJ Penn for a third time ‘The Answer’ won’t be showing any charity as he aims to close the chapter on his TUF rival and make another run for the title.

Watching Frankie Edgar and BJ Penn interact as opposing coaches on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter you’d be forgiven for thinking they were pals. Unlike in previous seasons of the UFC reality show, there’s no real animosity between the pair – despite their two previous title battles. But beneath the surface things are bubbling. Penn chose to fight Edgar again. He called UFC president Dana White specifically to chart a route back to Edgar – through Benson Henderson – and ultimately forced his way onto this season of TUF ahead of planned original coach Urijah Faber. And that’s something Edgar can’t forget. BJ has lost nine fights during his Hall of Fame 13-year career, and yet it’s the back-to-back 2010 UFC lightweight title defeats to Frankie that clearly still vex him most. Losing the 155lb belt to the New Jersey native and then failing in an immediate rematch five months later must keep the Hawaiian up at night, and he’s come in search of vengeance. But Edgar isn’t the man he was four years ago. He too has tasted back-to-back title losses – losing the UFC belt to Henderson and then a subsequent rematch – and now finds himself down at 145lb and rebuilding following a further title defeat to Brazilian featherweight José Aldo. This has become a crossroads fight for both former champions, and so Edgar is readying himself for the best BJ Penn ever. “I’m preparing for the best guy in the world, that’s what I always do. I prepare myself to be the best in the world so I can beat the other guy who is the best in the world,” Edgar offers when FO caught up with him at home in Toms River, New Jersey. “In order to be the best you have to beat the best, and that’s the way I approach every camp. I’m facing not only the very best BJ Penn ever, but he’ll be facing the best Frankie Edgar too.”

One more time

Edgar readily admits to being a huge fan of The Ultimate Fighter, so much so the first season of the show actually inspired him to take up mixed martial arts. And while his first coaching stint on TUF had been talked about for some time, he was still shocked when they confirmed the gig – especially when the UFC announced his rival coach. Edgar reveals: “They were tossing the idea around for a little bit but I didn’t know who the opposing coach was going to be. They were initially talking about Urijah (Faber) coming in and the coaches’ fight being between 135lb and 145lb, but Dana doesn’t like catchweights. And so it went quiet and I didn’t know whether it was even going to happen at all. “Then one day I get a call and they say, ‘What about BJ Penn?’ So it was on-off and on-off and then it was BJ. But, you know, the guy’s done a lot of things in his career, so why not? I think it was a good opportunity for the show.” Dana White later revealed BJ actually called him up and asked for a fight with Benson Henderson purely to position himself for a rematch with Edgar. It’s a chain of conversations which ultimately led the UFC to pair the two former lightweight rivals up on this season of TUF. So, was Frankie surprised to hear how Penn still feels aggrieved about his losses in particular? “No, I get it, losses sting. I have some losses that sting too, so I’m not taking that personal,” the 32-year-old says. “He wants his chance to change things and I’m willing to give it to him. He was the guy that gave me my first shot at the title and he didn’t have to say yes to that, but he did. So how could I turn him down when he wants to fight me. No, that was never going to happen. If BJ wants to fight me again, sure, I’m happy to go again.” However, that’s not stopped Frankie coining the term ‘one more time’ throughout the build-up to their TUF 19 Finale, scheduled to go down live at the Mandalay Bay on July 6th. He says: “Yeah, one more time, let’s get it done. Let’s make it a hat-trick and close out this trilogy.” And despite their two previous fights both being relatively one-sided in Edgar’s favor, he insists there is no sense of him going over old ground. “It’s always new. Even though I’ve beaten BJ before I know the dangers of any fight. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve fought before, I know any fight, especially at this level, is dangerous and so I won’t be underestimating BJ Penn. I’ve got to make sure I am 100% prepared, and that’s what I will be.” Penn will also have to make 145lb for the first time in his career on the scales in Las Vegas, but after two fights at featherweight Frankie is now well adjusted to his new weight class. He still admits he doesn’t have to diet, and the original matchup with Faber did tempt him to move down further. But for now, he confirms, he’s staying at 145lb. “Am I a career featherweight now? I don’t know. It’s good for me as I can go a couple of different ways (weight classes). But right now the 145lb title is all I am working towards. That’s my main focus. And in the future, who knows, we’ll see what happens. I was right on the fence about moving down to fight Urijah, to be honest. There were pluses and minuses in dropping down again. “Fighting a big name like Urijah, that would have been a fun fight, for sure. He’s one of the best lighter-weight guys in the history of the sport. 

“But I’ve got a job to do at 145lb. I made my name at 155lb, so let’s see what I can really do in this weight class before I think about moving again. I don’t even know how my body would react if I wanted to move to 135lb, so that’s not happening just yet.” Frankie will enter the Octagon at the Mandalay Bay on Independence Day weekend – part of an audacious double header of fight cards being staged by the UFC as part of International Fight Week – as both competitor and coach, as the TUF 19 season reaches its climax. And New Jersey’s finest admits the experience is one he’ll relish. He says: “It was The Ultimate Fighter that got me interested in MMA in the first place. I was a senior in college and a wrestler when the first season came on TV, and I was really into it. It definitely encouraged me to seek out a place to train when I graduated. But I’ve always tuned into the show, I don’t think I’ve ever not watched a season of it, and I’ve still been watching this season, even though I’m in it. “Matt Serra, of course, was my favorite coach on TUF. I know he’s a buddy of mine too, but he’s super funny and is a phenomenal coach. But over the years there have been so many incredible moments, I just hope the fans are enjoying this season.” He adds: “The whole TUF experience was fun. It was a lot of work, but I liked it. I had to juggle their workouts along with my own, so it was intense going to the gym, like, four times a day, but it was fun and was definitely worth the work. “My family definitely enjoyed it too. My sons loved it out there. In fact, they definitely enjoyed it more than I did. I was pretty busy with the show, but my wife and the kids took advantage of being out there and went hiking a lot. They really got to enjoy the place much more than I did. It really gave them the chance to extend their summer, which was nice.” Edgar and wife Renee also recently celebrated the birth of a daughter, taking their brood to three, including their two sons, who have both, incidentally, started jiu-jitsu lessons with Ricardo Almeida. And Edgar reveals being a father has changed his approach to fighting. “When the new baby arrived, well, it all just gives you a little more purpose,” he says. 

“When I was younger, just a kid myself, I trained hard because I wanted to win so much. I was a competitor and did it all for me. But now, when you have kids, you’ve got that extra drive, because you’re no longer doing it for you – you’re doing it for your family, too. “I’m still young at heart and that’s why I keep having kids, as they keep me young at heart. Yes, I’m getting older in years, but then as you get older you get wiser. The older I get the more confident I get. I’m preparing better and peaking better, and I’m right where I want to be. 

“I am in a great position to make another run and pick up another world title. It’s all about becoming world champion, for myself, my coaches and my family.”

Restore the shore

A proud Jersey boy, Frankie Edgar grew up within walking distance of Seaside Heights, one of the communities worst affected when Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012. Now 20 months on from the superstorm that cost the US over $65 billion, Edgar is still working with his community in order to rebuild the area. Similarly to UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, Edgar’s family and friends were hit hard by Sandy and are still picking up the pieces of their homes and businesses to this day. Unfortunately, Frankie believes, that’s as much down to the damage caused by the hurricane as it is to the problems residents are having getting funds and insurance claims cleared by authorities. “‘Restore the Shore’ was a pretty big thing right after the storm, but there’s still a lot of stuff going on with it and people are still rebuilding their lives. I volunteer with them a lot, to add a little star power, I guess, but there is still so much work to be done,” says Frankie, who posted a video on YouTube to generate awareness of the campaign. “Along the Shore I wouldn’t say everyone is still homeless, but a lot of people are out of money. There are a lot of businesses still struggling to get up and running again, especially where I am, and there have been one or two storms and incidents, like fires, since Hurricane Sandy too, which haven’t helped.” The TUF coach reveals his mother-in-law lost her home to the storm, and is only just getting back on her feet. But he says that through adversity the community has been galvanized and he’s proud of what they’ve managed to achieve – despite politics getting in the way of real progress. “My mother-in-law’s house got condemned. They had a marina home and it had to be knocked down and rebuilt. They’re in the process of rebuilding right now. “As with a lot of these things, the major issue for Jersey involves politics. The money is there to help with rebuilding, but it’s impossible to get at. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to rebuild their homes. It’s only the insurance companies that have benefitted from the storm.“A lot of the shore is still a real mess. And the rebuilding process is taking way longer than anybody ever thought it would. “It’s definitely pulled the community together. The whole area has really come together to work with charities and community groups – and that’s been going on since a week after the storm. But there is still so much to be done.”