Former UFC Champion To Come Out Of Retirement At BKFC 82

Edgar has not fought since November 2022, when he suffered a brutal first-round knockout to Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281. He went into that bout confirming that it would be the final walk of his career — at least in an MMA setting.

Although Edgar was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in June, he experienced limited success towards the end of his career. 'The Answer' won just one of the final six bouts of his career and ended on a three-fight skid, losing each by knockout.

As a former Division I wrestler, Edgar is not the prototypical ex-MMA fighter to transition to bare-knuckle boxing. However, similar fighters have had success in the BKFC ring. Featherweight champion Kai Stewart is also a former collegiate wrestler who made the switch after graduating and immediately found success.

Rivera, Edgar's opponent, is 2-2-1 in bare-knuckle boxing, all with the BKFC. He made his promotional debut at BKFC 26, over one year after his release from the UFC. Rivera challenged Stewart for the BKFC featherweight title in his last outing, dropping a five-round decision in November 2024.

Edgar and Rivera are both New Jersey natives, making them the first local fighters added to the card. Both grew up fairly close to Newark, where the event will commence, with Edgar hailing from Toms River and Rivera originating in Ramsey.

Frankie Edgar joins loaded BKFC 82 card

Edgar's inclusion on the BKFC 82 fight card continues to build the promotion's biggest event of the year. The fight card is not only the promotion's debut in New Jersey, but it also marks the return of fan-favorite brawler Mike Perry.

Perry headlines the event against another former UFC veteran, Jeremy Stephens, with the 'King of Violence' belt on the line. Women's flyweight champion Christine Ferea takes on featherweight champion Jessica Borga for the 'Queen of Violence' title in the co-main event.

The event is scheduled to begin on Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. ET at the Prudential Center. While it will commence on the same day as UFC 320, Helwani reported that the BKFC will ensure the main card ends before the UFC pay-per-view begins at 10 p.m. ET.