UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar will return to combat sports for the first time since his MMA retirement at UFC 281.
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar’s Mixed Martial Arts career ended in a devastating knockout loss to bantamweight Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281. Edgar, arguably one of the greatest lightweights in UFC history, contended for titles at bantamweight and featherweight during his legendary career.
Edgar was briefly linked to a return to combat sports in bare-knuckle boxing in October in Bare Knuckle FC, before a last-second fight cancellation ahead of his bout with Jimmie Rivera. As of this writing, Edgar remains unsigned with BKFC and has since transitioned to a familiar venture: wrestling.
Before Edgar made waves in MMA, he was a standout wrestler at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, qualifying for the Division I NCAA Championships from 2003 to 2005. After a failed fighting return in BKFC, Edgar will face one of the UFC’s pound-for-pound best in his Real American Freestyle debut.
Frankie Edgar set to square off with former UFC champ in RAF 09 return
As announced on Monday, Edgar will square off with former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at RAF 09 next month in Dallas. Dvalishvili was supposed to face Henry Cejudo at RAF 08 earlier this month before Cejudo was forced to withdraw due to an injury.
Dvalishvili is still waiting on news of his UFC return after losing the bantamweight title to Petr Yan in their UFC 323 rematch in December. A trilogy between Dvalishvili and Yan could potentially take place later this summer.
Edgar will look to earn his first combat sports win since a split decision victory over Pedro Munhoz in August 2020. He lost three consecutive fights in the Octagon before his retirement at UFC 281.
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