Frankie Edgar is picking back up his gloves — at least metaphorically.
The UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC lightweight champion has inked a deal with bare-knuckling boxing leader BKFC, Uncrowned’s Ariel Helwani confirmed Monday.
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Edgar’s promotional debut is tentatively scheduled to arrive on Oct. 4 against fellow UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera, per sources, pending approval from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board.
BKFC’s Oct. 4 show is expected to be one of the promotion’s biggest of 2025, headlined by a marquee fight for BKFC’s King of Violence title between reigning King of Violence champion Mike Perry and longtime UFC knockout artist Jeremy Stephens at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Edgar (24-11-1 MMA) is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of his era. A 43-year-old native of Toms River, New Jersey, Edgar retired from the UFC in November 2022 following a brutal knockout loss at the hands of Chris Gutierrez. The setback was Edgar’s third knockout loss in a row and ended the legend’s MMA run with a 2-6 record over his final eight UFC bouts, four of which ended in first-round knockout defeats. Edgar has not competed in combat sports since falling short against Gutierrez.
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Edgar is best known for his early UFC run, which saw him capture the undisputed UFC title as an undersized lightweight with back-to-back upsets in 2010 over fellow Hall of Famer B.J. Penn. Edgar then retained his title twice in 2011 with an iconic pair of come-from-behind wars against Gray Maynard. Edgar ultimately lost his belt to Benson Henderson in 2012, but continued to find success as a top featherweight and bantamweight contender for the majority of his career, beating the likes of Charles Oliveira, Urijah Faber, Cub Swanson (x2), Chad Mendes and Yair Rodriguez, among others.
Edgar now steps back into the arena to take on fellow New Jersey native Rivera (23-5 MMA, 2-2-1 BKFC).
After exiting the UFC in 2021, Rivera signed with BKFC the same year and has since fought to mixed results. His best bare-knuckle win came in a 2024 decision over former Bellator champion Daniel Straus. Rivera dropped a decision to BKFC featherweight champion Kai Stewart this past November in his most recent appearance.
