A legend of the Octagon is set to make his return to combat sports on October 4 after three years away.
In recent times, several different pathways have opened up for former UFC stars to continue competing in combat sports.
Stepping inside a boxing ring has been an option for some big names from the MMA world, with Tony Ferguson recently breaking his losing streak at Misfits Boxing 22.
Another option, that certainly isn’t for everyone, is BKFC, who have continued to attract some big names to the promotion.
A 43-year-old UFC Hall of Famer is one of the latest fighters to join the BKFC ranks ahead of his upcoming debut in his home state.
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Frankie Edgar says his family questioned his motivation for shocking BKFC signing
BKFC 82 on October 4 is shaping up to be one of the promotion’s biggest events of the year.
While the main event between Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens is sure to deliver, for the fans in attendance in New Jersey, there’s likely going to be one name in particular that gets them out of their seats.
Frankie Edgar’s UFC run came to an end in 2022 after he was knocked out in three consecutive fights by Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera and Chris Gutierrez.
The former UFC lightweight champion, who has 36 pro MMA fights under his belt, will be facing Jimmie Rivera, though he recently revealed that his family weren’t on board with this idea.
“My family, my close family, definitely was against it, for sure,” Edgar told MMA Junkie. “My wife, my kids, my parents. But, I talked them into it I guess you could say. At least enough for them to give me the okay. I don’t know if I got their blessing, but I got the okay.”
‘The Answer’ went on to explain why his family were less than enthused about his decision to return.
“They think I don’t need it. I don’t need to do this because it’s not like I’m searching for pennies or anything like that under the couch. It’s not that I need it. They get who I am though, at least my wife. My kids had no chance, they got born to me, they didn’t get to pick. My wife kinda knew what she got into when she signed up for this a while back.”
Frankie Edgar suggested that BKFC 82 might not be a one-off return for him
It’s certainly not uncommon for fighters who have previously retired to decide to come back, which is always going to raise some concerns.
Any worries that Frankie Edgar’s fans and family might have about him returning could be helped if this was just one last dance to put on a show for the fans in New Jersey.
However, at the BKFC 82 press conference, he certainly didn’t rule out the idea that this would be more than a one-off.
“I said I’d never fight again, here I am. Who’s gonna take me for my word, really. We’ll see how this one goes.”
Edgar faces Jimmie Rivera at the Prudential Center in Newark on October 4.