Frankie Edgar's Unofficial Pro Debut in Underground MMA Fight League (Video)

The story of every champion begins with a dream, and Frankie Edgar was no different.

He was just a young, scrappy kid from Toms River, N.J., looking for a way to tame his athletic urges.

It's the same story for every former collegiate wrestler not competing in the Olympics. The transition from athletics to normal, everyday life is tough on a person, especially if they're still young and competitive.

MMA has given wrestlers and other athletes an opportunity to continue competing at a professional level.

Unfortunately, people weren't as accepting of the sport in the Northeast, and in 1997, the state of New York officially banned professional MMA.

History has taught us that banning something doesn't necessarily blot it out of existence.

Peter Storm, a fighter who MMA writer Jim Genia dubs "King of the Underground," created the Underground Combat League in response to the ban on the sport. The stable of fighters in the unsanctioned and unregulated promotion varied from skilled combatants to everyday thugs on the street.

With his wrestling days behind him, Edgar saw Storm's promotion as an opportunity to try his hand at MMA.

According to BloodyElbow.com, the above video features Edgar's pro MMA debut against Erik Uresk on July 10, 2005. As usual, Edgar entered the bout a heavy underdog and at a size disadvantage, but he managed to overcome the burlier Uresk en route to a first-round TKO stoppage.

Edgar went on to make his official pro debut a few months later at Ring of Combat 9, where he defeated Mark Getto.