Frankie
Edgar was announced as the first
UFC Hall of Fame inductee for the class of 2024 on Saturday
night.
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Edgar was in attendance at UFC 297
at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, where he was greeted with the
surprise announcement. The former UFC lightweight champ was seen
wiping away tears as the whole arena gave him a standing
ovation.
“Frankie Edgar is one of the greatest athletes in UFC history,” UFC
CEO Dana White said in a press release. “Frankie had an amazing
career and consistently fought the best athletes in the world
across multiple weight classes for more than 15 years. He is a
legend, and it will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of
Fame as part of International Fight Week this summer.”
Edgar’s induction ceremony will take place during the International
Fight Week this summer in Las Vegas and will be streamed live on
UFC Fight Pass. Edgar will be inducted as part of the UFC Hall of
Fame “Modern Era” which includes athletes who turned pro on or
after Nov. 17, 2000 (when the first UFC event under the unified
rules of MMA was held), are a minimum age of 35 or who have been
retired for one year or more.
Edgar made his pro debut in 2005 and went undefeated in his first
nine outings, including three in the UFC. “The Answer” suffered his
first pro loss against Gray
Maynard in 2008, beginning an iconic rivalry which ended 1-1-1
— with the second fight being scored a draw.
Edgar held the UFC lightweight title from 2010 to 2012, defeating
the legendary B.J. Penn twice.
The 42-year-old has notched wins over the likes of Cub Swanson,
Urijah
Faber, Charles
Oliveira, and Yair
Rodriguez in a career spanning 17 years. The fan-favorite
retired after a loss against Chris
Gutierrez at the Madsion Square Garden in New York in November
2022.