Frankie Edgar was announced as the first UFC Hall of Fame inductee for the class of 2024 on Saturday night.
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.
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