Outside Source
Frankie Edgar last fought in November 2022. | Getty/UFC
Frankie Edgar’s return to combat sports has been put on hold after he wasn’t cleared to compete at BKFC 82 on Saturday.
NJ.com was first to report the news, and BKFC president David Feldman confirmed Edgar’s withdrawal during a pre-fight media call. The exact nature of Edgar’s health issues were not revealed.
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“After further review with our chief medical officer, we decided that Frankie Edgar was not going to compete this Saturday,” Feldman said (transcription via MMAFighting.com). “We’re going to look into it, and see what his future looks like, but he will not be competing this Saturday.”
Edgar was originally supposed to face fellow UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Rivera will remain on the BKFC 82 card against Timmy Mason.
McGregor Reacts to Edgar’s Exit
BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor expressed hope that Edgar could compete on a future BKFC card, provided that the former UFC champion is medically cleared.
“I’m very upset for Frankie,” McGregor said. “I’m sure he’s devastated, and you know, health is paramount here. We will address it, and we will re-evaluate it, and see where we go. Hopefully, we get Frankie in here at another date, but safety is paramount, and we take that with great care at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.”
After the fight vs. Rivera was initially announced, Edgar admitted that his inner circle was against his comeback bid.
“My close family definitely was against it,” Edgar told MMAjunkie.com. “For sure, my wife, my kids, my parents, but I talked them into it, I guess you could say. At least enough for me to get the OK. I don’t know if I got their blessing, but I got the OK.
“They think I don’t need it. I don’t need to do this. I’m not searching for pennies or anything under the couch. It’s not that I need it. They get who I am. My wife knew what she got into when she signed up for this a while back. She knows the kind of person I am, and I’m sure this is not too surprising for her.”
A native of Toms River, N.J., Edgar last competed at UFC 281, where he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Chris Gutierrez in a bantamweight bout in November 2022. “The Answer” also competed at lightweight and featherweight during his 28-bout UFC tenure. He earned notable victories over the likes of B.J. Penn, Gray Maynard, Sean Sherk, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson, Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes and Yair Rodriguez during his Octagon career.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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