Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar has been announced as the first inductee of the UFC’s 2024 Hall of Fame class.
TORONTO—Frankie Edgar, a legend in his own right, is set to be immortalized in the UFC Hall of Fame. That’s right, folks.
The UFC broke the news during the UFC 297 broadcast on Saturday. Edgar, the former UFC lightweight champ, is the first to be inducted into the 2024 Hall of Fame class. You could see the emotion in Edgar’s eyes as he was there at the Scotiabank Arena when the honor was made official.
There’s a video of the announcement, by the way. You should totally check it out.
At 42, Edgar is joining the Modern Wing of the institution. He’s in good company, with names like Jose Aldo, B.J. Penn, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Georges St-Pierre, and Ronda Rousey. You know, just a few other superstars from the past.
In his heyday, Edgar was a force to be reckoned with. He was a three-division threat, no less. He nabbed the 155-pound title at UFC 112 in April 2010, causing quite a stir with his controversial upset of Penn. He even defended the title three times. Impressive, right?
But he didn’t stop there. Edgar later dropped to the featherweight division and twice vied for featherweight gold. He ended his career as a contender in the bantamweight division.
Edgar’s trilogy of fights with Gray Maynard is something fans will never forget. The second fight is widely regarded as one of the greatest in MMA history. It’s likely to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Fight Wing in the future.
Edgar’s thrilling style earned him eight Fight of the Night bonuses in his 15-year UFC career. Only Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz have more.
Edgar, a proud New Jersey native, hung up his gloves in November 2022 after a knockout loss to Chris Gutierrez. His pro record? 24-11-1. Not too shabby, eh?