Video
Original Description
ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto interviews UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar about ending his retirement of nearly three years to fight Jimmie Rivera at BKFC 82 on October 4 in New Jersey.
0:00 Intro
0:41 Staying active
1:58 Ending his retirement
3:22 Managing retirement
3:57 How did the fight come together?
5:00 Couldn’t say no?
6:09 Reflecting on his early days
7:09 Fighting bare knuckle
9:12 What do you miss most?
10:15 One fight or more?
11:25 Nerves during his UFC career
12:52 Thoughts on UFC/Paramount deal
14:10 Jon Jones’ choice to retire
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Video Transcript
What's up guys? Brett Okamoto from ESPN
and I feel like it's 2017 talking to the
one and only Frankie Edgar sitting in
his backyard in New Jersey. This is
where you always used to do the
interviews. I mean,
you kind of you you retired in 2022. So,
the Zoom era was kind of just just sort
of like there at the tail end. This is
how I always remember talking to you is
sitting outside in your backyard, man.
Like to outside, get some vitamin D, you
know? It's not bad,
man. You look exactly the same. Uh so I
I got to believe uh retirement life has
not been too stressful on you because
you look like you haven't aged a day
since 2022 when I saw you.
Yeah, I mean, you know, I'm uh I'm still
grinding, still still working out
obviously. Uh I own a jiu-jitsu, Muay
Thai, MMA school, so um I'm there on I'm
on the mats every day whether I'm
training or not. And uh yeah, just
trying to chase my kids around, stay
stay uh stay active enough for them.
For sure, man. and we like basically got
to see your kids grow up a little bit,
you know, kind of in the public eye as
you were doing your thing, of course, in
the UFC. How's it been being a gym
owner? Is it worth a headache? You happy
that you're you you went down this path?
I am. I am. You know, I was I was on
somebody's mats every day, you know,
even even after after, you know, my
career. So, I figured why not be my on
my own mat. Um, you know, I got I got my
my some of my friends kids. It's you
know, this is the community I grew up
in. So, a lot of a lot of uh familiar
faces on my on my, you know, in my
school and yeah, it's it feels good to
to, you know, do what I love. I don't
feel like I don't go to work, man. My
wife's like, "Oh, we're going to work."
I'm like, "This ain't work. Come on.
We're we're going to jitsu. It's not
work."
For sure. Well, uh, is it going to be
work on October 4th when you return to
competition in a boxing ring, bare
knuckle against Jimmy Rivera? Is that
going to feel like work? Is that is you
coming to doing this because you want to
do I mean, what is what is the
motivation about coming back? cuz I got
to be honest, I was not anticipating
ever seeing you fight again. And maybe
that was obviously naive on my part.
Like, was this unexpected or this did
you always kind of know this day was
coming?
This was unexpected. I wasn't going to
do this. I I didn't want to be guy that
came back from from retiring. Um, but
you know, I I can't help who I am
either. Um, and it was wasn't like I was
seeking this out. Someone came to me
with it. And once they came to me with
it, I kind of actually ignored it at
first. And then once they came to me
again, I I, you know, passed the
information on Ali a little bit and then
once the ball started rolling, I was all
in. I couldn't help. I've been I've been
like giddy for the past, you know, three
weeks now.
Yeah, I really have. Like something like
like one of my my teachers at my
school's like, "Dude, like something
you're just different, man. You're just
different." I'm like, "Dude, I just feel
like uh
you know, not that like something dies
when you retire, but something does die
when you retire, you know? Um, and I I
kind of got that back. So, uh, I'm
excited. You know, I'm I'm the last
couple fights of my career were tough,
obviously. Everyone knows that. And, uh,
you know, I was dealing with I had two
surgeries at at the end of my career.
Um, and I didn't know what I was going
to do after fighting. I didn't have the
school. I didn't have, you know, I
didn't know. I was like, there was that
unknown like I know I got to do
something, but I don't know what it's
going to be. I feel like now I I know
what I'm doing. I'm doing what I'm going
to do, and like that pressure is gone.
So, this is just all fun right now.
How's it been, man? Um cuz this is
something that every human being I think
deals with is retirement, but it's
obviously a lot more jarring for an
athlete and it happens earlier in life.
When you say something dies, how has
that been? How's it been uh managing
that?
It was tough in the beginning. I think
it was a little tough. You know, I'm not
one to show my emotions or talk about it
or anything like that. I just keep it
moving. Um but I'm sure my family
noticed, you know, some things a little
differently about me, but uh you know,
like once like you really you can't sit
there and salt, man. I got kids, you
know, so the kids definitely filled that
void for me. And you know, not that I
was always around them anyway, but now I
just was at all their practices and this
and that. And now even the school that I
opened up kind of also fills that void
for me, too.
So, somebody reaches out. I imagine it
was from BKFC. And you say you ignore it
first. What do you mean? Like you just
Well, it was like a DM. It was a DM.
It was a DM. It was like, "Hey, uh, I
think he actually asked about my podcast
first." So, he get some guys on a
podcast. We're going to be in Jersey.
I'm like, "Yeah, yeah." And then he's
like, "Hey, you interested in doing
anything?" And I kind of like I I I kind
of knew what he was talking about, but I
acted like I didn't. I kind of just kept
it moving. And then uh then he's like,
"Hey, listen. You know, would you want
to fight on the card?" Then I started
passing it to Ali and Ali said, "Well,
you know, I'm actually meeting with Dave
Feldman uh tomorrow." It was, you know,
when when that day was. And uh I'm like,
"Well, let's see if we can get this
done."
That's crazy. When did you tell your
your family?
Um yeah, right when this was two weeks
ago. You know, my wife kind of said no.
And honestly, I almost I almost almost
listened to her. And I I I kind of was
like, "No." And then I I I started
talking to myself, I guess, you know, in
a way. And I'm like, "I just can't say
no to this." And I got her to agree to
still be my wife after all this. So, at
least we're we're not going to you're
not going to have to get a divorce or
anything.
Why do you think you can't Why do you
think you can't say no to this?
It's just a perfect storm of of the
timing, you know? Um they're in Jersey.
Uh I I my body feels good. I I for 6
months like in the winter my neck was
killing me and I got treatment and it
was a slow slow recovery but I finally
got good and it caught me when my body
feels good. I feel actually really
really good right now. I haven't felt
like this in a long time and uh I mean
listen the money the money is not bad
you know and I'm not doing it everyone's
like oh this guy's poor he's doing it
for the money and all the comments and
it's like dude I ain't doing it for the
money but the money makes it worth it
and I used to fight for free dude you
know what I mean so you know I broke my
face for free
already so I might as well go make some
money and do it you know
poor poor sure however that was a much
that was a much younger Frankie Edgar
that was fighting for free right so
well Those bones are more calcified
though. You know what I'm saying?
What was uh you know, I love it when you
mentioned that you used to fight for
free and you were in those fights in
Jersey Shore. Is there anyone that comes
to mind? Is there any great like you say
you've you fought bare knuckle already
in Jersey. Can you tell me any any good
story of of you getting in a fight?
Oh man, you know, well, you know, being
a seaside, you usually fighting kids
from from up north or from New York and
stuff like that. And I got into it with
a kid who was probably pretty quite bit
bigger than me, quite a bit older. and
uh and I you know I gave it to him
pretty good but uh you know I used some
wrestling in that one so you can't use
wrestling in this one but still was bare
knuckle and I was punching the [ __ ] out
of him so yeah we we'll uh we'll be at
home
forgive me if I don't know the New
Jersey geography here but is it the
similar situation you got uh you
fighting a northern New Jersey guy is
there a little bit of a ride over here
I am yes you know he uh and now Jimmy's
a buddy of mine now so uh but it's still
we still have that that North Jersey he
wants to say South Jersey I said listen
I'm not from South Jersey I'm from the
shore So, the shore versus North Jersey,
we could have a little scrap.
Uh, the bare knuckle element of it. You
said at the press conference, I believe
you said that you're you're intrigued.
You you like it. You're into it. Um, can
you expand on that because it is a
different thing, right? I mean, there
are a lot of MMA guys that tell me quite
frankly that they wouldn't do it. You're
going to do it. What What do you feel
about the bare knuckle element?
You know, I said it at the press
conference because a lack of words. I
said it's the, you know, the fightiest
of all combat sports. And it's like it
is. It's like that just the grittiness,
you know, and just it's not the cleanest
fights, you know what I mean? You watch
you watch. I mean, you watch some of the
better guys. You watch, you know, Eddie
and and Mike Perry and and when Chad did
it and Stevens, like they they
definitely bring more of the the the art
to it, I guess you'd say. But, you know,
it's it's brutal. It's it's more of a
street fight than than than a than a
boxing match. And uh
like I said, I you know, I I was a
street fighter before I was a wrestler,
you know what I mean? And uh I just feel
like
yeah, it's just something I you know,
how could I not say I did this once in
my life when I'm an old man?
Have you started really kind of getting
into camp and getting getting punched
again? You you you that I've been
sparring. Yeah. I got probably like four
spars under my belt already. And uh I
feel great. You know, the five
two-minute rounds is uh is fun. You
know, you get you get to put it all out
there in two minutes. You get a whole
minute to recharge and go do it again.
So, uh, I'm I'm at the point in my
career I feel like if I can't do
something for 2 minutes, I got something
wrong with me.
I bet that feels so short to you cuz
what? You got like freaking 25 hours in
the octagon or some something crazy like
that, right? What is your stat? You hold
the right or maybe someone passed you a
little bit.
Yeah, I think RDA passed me, but I think
I'm I'm right under like eight hours or
something like that.
Eight hours, man. Yeah. So, two minute
two two minute uh rounds has got to seem
simple to you that prior to kind of
starting to to move for this
opportunity. When's the last time you
had sparred and gotten hit in that way?
Uh, I'm always helping kids, you know,
so I'm sparring a little bit, but as far
as boxing sparring, like just straight
up hands, honestly, I mean, since my
fight since, you know, two two three
years ago, you know,
dude, don't you get sick of punching in
getting punched in the face? Like, don't
you get
sick? I'm not over sparring, you know?
I'm sparring. That's the whole idea. Not
trying to get punched in the face, I
guess. You know, but uh yeah. Um, it's,
you know, it's it's only five more
weeks. Five more weeks and I got to get
punched no more. It's kind of crazy.
What do you think? Uh what do you think
you miss the most
about it?
The the the the pursuit, you know, like
having that goal in mind and I got I you
know, I kind of can lose sight of
everything else and just have tunnel
vision on one thing. Um
like like uh like I posted a quote
something like living life like a
warrior is because once you make your
mind up, that's it. You made your mind
up. Now there's no other way to to think
about. It's like, you know, when you
have a million things going on, you're
constantly thinking about a million
things. Me, I'm I'm just thinking about
one person right now. And that's uh
that's familiar, you know. I like that.
I feel like, you know, fight camp's
stressful cuz you're fighting to, you
know, you're going to fight somebody,
but like it's so not stressful because
that's all you have to worry about.
Yeah. You uh you getting the old gang
back together for this one or who's
going to be in in the corner with you?
Absolutely. Mark, I've been with Mark,
you know, daily now. um pulled him out
of retirement and uh
Chris Lori who's also in my corner all
the time. Uh and then I'm bringing Eddie
Alvarez obviously with the uh with the
experience and you know our friendship.
Nice. Uh I mean obvious question here is
this a oneoff or like you go in and you
look great and they start offering you
more checks and more dates. What are you
going to what's going to happen then?
You know it is a two-ight deal. Um but
I'm approaching just we we'll see how
how October 4th goes. You know, I might
have made some promises that I that that
I might have to break maybe. You know
what I mean? But, uh, we know here we
are. I broke I broke one already.
Yeah. Uh, we know how your wife feels. I
mean, a little bit. You kind of you kind
of pulled their curtain back a tiny bit.
What about everybody else? Like, what
are some of the reactions that you've
gotten about this decision?
Um, you know, like my my my fight
friends, they're all in. They know they
know who I am. They know what type of
person I am. They know I'm going to I'm
going to do this the right way. Um, but
like my my kids were definitely a little
against it as well. Um, but I but I, you
know, I reeled them in. I reeled them
in, I guess, enough to, you know, not
have them too disappointed.
Huh. Huh. Were you surprised that they
were against it or you knew you knew
that was going to be a tough one?
I knew my wife would be. I knew my my my
daughter would be. I was a little
surprised my sons were a little against
it.
Well, I only got a couple more questions
for you. What do you think the nerves
are going to be like when you walk to
the ring? And can you tell me what were
your nerves like sort of throughout your
UFC career? And then how do you think
they'll be when you when you walk to
this one for the first time in three
years?
You know, my nerves in UFC career were,
you know, you're constantly telling your
talking the nerves down. Uh I was scared
to lose all the time. So like so scared
of what could happen all the time.
And I, you know, I mean, we're never
going to really know till, you know, I'm
up in there and my [ __ ] gets all
tight, you know, as you're about to walk
out. But uh I in my mind I mean the
worst things has happened to me that I
that I would never wanted to happen to
me and they've actually happened to me a
couple times out you know in the public
in my in my fight career and now I don't
give a I don't care what happens. I mean
you know of course I'm going to win this
fight for sure. I mean that's I know I
only do things one way. I was like but
the pressure of of what the outcome it
doesn't concern me is anymore.
Yeah that's got to be liberating. Do you
ever do you ever go back and watch any
of your old fights? And like do you have
like a UFC stuff prominently in your
house or like how much is it kind of in
your dayto-day still or or even kind of
in month to month? Like when's the last
time you watched an old fight of yours?
Yeah, I haven't watched one of my fights
in a long long time. Um yeah, super
long. Uh my belts are somewhere in my
house. I have one in my podcast room,
but I don't really you know I don't
think of you know they're not like the
marquees spot. I'm I'm not really a a
collector, I guess, of anything.
Yeah. Yep. Last thing I want to ask you
about before you jump off is cuz I
haven't talked to you in a while and
like when you see that the sport is
being sold for $7.7 billion on Paramount
Plus for seven years, $7.7 billion.
What do you think of that?
Yeah, I mean it's just great. It's great
for the fighters and I know like every,
you know, everyone's getting, oh, they
don't get paid enough and now they're
going to not get paid more. It's going
to trickle down. It's going to trickle
down eventually. Uh it may take it's
going to take some time just like
anything and maybe it's not what they
should be getting, but it's going to be
more in the long run. So, it is going to
help the fighters in the long run. Uh,
and yeah, I mean, it's I think more eyes
are going to get on this sport now. Now,
it's it's it's a a cheaper way to to to
access it. So, I imagine more people are
going to get into this and see it and
it's just going to grow from here.
Are you still a fan? Do you watch it
pretty frequently?
I do. I'm watch all the time. I'm every
Saturday pretty much. You know, I mean,
obviously I have family stuff and stuff
to do, but all my kids are always into
it. They got their friends always over
here. So, yeah. You know, I I this is my
life.
Yeah. Two more questions and uh who are
your favorite guys to watch right now?
Um
I mean Morab's just a monster the way he
brings it obviously, you know, I still
I'm still connected to a few people. So
like you know Islam, I see him a lot.
Obviously we share management. I've been
friends with him. Um you know so so guys
that I'm connected I think you know
those are the guys that that I'm always
you know looking out for.
Last thing, if you don't have anything
for this, and maybe you talked about
this on your on your podcast, so forgive
me if you've already hit this up because
it was obviously a big topic, but uh Jon
Jones deciding to retire instead of
fight Tom Aspenol. I mean, he the reason
I want to ask you is because he you were
involved in that same era. Obviously, he
was a little younger than you, but uh
you guys were living in that same
circle. And then you being a fighter
yourself, he moved up to heavyweight and
then it's like that mega fight that
everybody wants to see. English
challenger. It was like disappointing. I
was disappointed as a fan when he
retired. What did you think of John's
decision? Cuz like you could say it was
a smart business decision, but then also
that like he left a big one on the
table. What did you think of John's
decision to retire?
Yeah, I I was definitely disappointed
because, you know, um I'm I'm a big Tom
Asenol guy. I think he's phenomenal.
Phenomenal. Um super nice kid, too. And
obviously, you know, Jon Jones for my
era. And you want to be the best, that's
the guy you got to beat. You got to beat
Jon Jones. And I feel like John, like if
Jon Jones wanted to go down as the the
GOAT, my screw all the the asterisks and
all that. You beat the guy Tom Asol. Now
you are the GOAT. You are like the Kelly
Slater, the youngest and the oldest. You
know what I mean? And uh I think that
would be awesome. But I do think it was
a smart business move because I do think
he's trying to lobby this this White
House card and maybe get even more
money. So, if he's able to do all those
things, hats off to him.
Yeah. Always enjoyed your talks, man. Uh
when you were an active fighter, when
you were champion, when you were moved
down to bantamweight, I've you're you
have one of my favorite careers I've
ever covered. So, it's a it's a nice
little treat to uh to talk to you again
here in 2025 and I'll be watching on
October 4th, man. Best of luck. I hope
you enjoy yourself, Brad. Always a
pleasure, my man. I'll see you soon.
Take care.
[Applause]
[Music]