UFC Legend Frankie Edgar to Come Out of Retirement for Bare-Knuckle Boxing Fight

UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar is set to return to competition in a new combat sports arena.

Per ESPN's Brett Okamoto, Edgar will face fellow former UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera in a bare-knuckle boxing contest at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships event at the Prudential Center in his home state of New Jersey on Oct. 4.

"I'm super excited to get back in competing, especially here in Jersey," Edgar said of his bare-knuckle boxing debut.

UFC star Conor McGregor, who is also a partial owner of BKFC, retweeted the news after an initial report by Ariel Helwani of Uncrowned.

Edgar last fought in 2022 and retired from MMA with a record of 24-11-1. He won the UFC lightweight championship in 2010 and defended it three times before losing it in 2012. He also challenged for the UFC featherweight title twice in 2013 and 2019. He earned an induction into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2024 and is remembered as one of the most beloved fighters in the company's history for succeeding as an undersized fighter against bigger opponents.

BKFC 82 will be headlined by a matchup between former UFC fighters Mike Perry and Jeremy Stephens.