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A major retirement will occur at UFC 281 on November 12 as former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar recently confirmed that he’ll be walking away from the sport.
“The Answer,” who is currently ranked No. 12 at bantamweight per the promotion’s official standings, is scheduled to fight Chris Gutierrez during the night’s main card which is set to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Edgar spoke with MMA Fighting ahead of the bout. And during the interview, the fan-favorite fighter said there were various things that had led him to end his fighting future.
“It’s a lot of things I would think,” Edgar said. “Kind of the way my fights have been going as of late led to that as well. My body, I am getting older. I feel great. In camp, I’m such a strong-minded person that I always have great camps. I always feel good but the body takes its toll throughout the years and I just want to move on and see what’s next.
“I know I can’t fight forever. I could definitely string it on a couple more years probably but I know I’ll never move on to what’s the next chapter in my life. I think now I’m being selfish when I’m still trying to chase this and I’ve got a family and kids that want to have goals of their own. They want me around and probably want me to be able to speak good and have my wits about me. I just know it’s probably the best time.”
Edgar Is Aware of Potential Health Issues All Fighters Face, Specifically Brain Damage
The Answer has engaged in several wars throughout his UFC tenure ranging from his trilogy with Gray Maynard to his two matches with Jose Aldo. Three of his last four bouts ended with Edgar suffering a KO/TKO loss, and The Answer is well aware that competing in combat sports can lead to an athlete dealing with brain damage.
“It’s definitely in the back of your mind,” the former 155-pound king said. “You can’t help but hear talks of that in sports and especially in our sport but across all sports. It’s not like I notice anything like oh man, I’m forgetful or I’m slurring my words but I don’t know if that’s how it works. Does it happen one day, you wake up and you’re messed up or does it happen gradually? Who knows.
“I’m going to be 41 next week and I feel like I’m somewhat coherent, maybe not the most, but I guess good enough for now so maybe leave well enough alone.”
Edgar Views UFC 281 as a ‘Good Sendoff’ for Him
Edgar said he doesn’t want to have the sport retire him. He wants to go out on his own terms, and he sees UFC 281 as being the best time to do so. He also admitted that his most recent losses are — in part — a result of him becoming long in the tooth.
“I don’t want to be that guy,” The Answer continued. “It’s not fair to put my family through that either. My pride doesn’t want to deal with that either. I feel like I can still hang with the best in the world.
“[But] I think in the past, I would have won those fights and now I’m not winning those fights. I don’t know if that’s the way time goes or guys are getting better or that’s the breaks of this game. Now’s the time. We get one more in New York, right in my backyard, a lot of history there. I think it’s a good sendoff.”