Edgar announced as first ’24 UFC HOF inductee

TORONTO — Frankie Edgar, known for epic comebacks and persevering time and time again against the odds, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this year, the promotion announced Saturday night during the UFC 297 broadcast.

Edgar, who is the first inductee announced for 2024, was in Toronto this week for appearances and the UFC surprised him with the announcement at Scotiabank Arena during the event. The induction will take place this summer at a date to be determined. It usually takes place during International Fight Week.

Edgar, 42, held the UFC lightweight title from 2010 to 2012. He twice beat legend BJ Penn, once to win the belt and another time to retain it, then had a pair of incredible comeback wins over the much larger Gray Maynard to hold onto the championship. It was one of the most memorable championship runs during that era of the UFC, and what made it all the more impressive is that the 5-foot-6 Edgar was always the smaller man.

“Frankie Edgar is one of the greatest athletes in UFC history,” UFC CEO Dana White said in a statement. “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.”

That size difference between Edgar and the other top fighters at 155 pounds was evident when Edgar moved down to featherweight (145 pounds) and had success, challenging twice for the UFC title there. He even moved down to bantamweight toward the end of his career.

Edgar, a fan favorite, retired after a 2022 loss to Chris Gutierrez at Madison Square Garden in New York. In a UFC career that began in 2007, he owned wins over former UFC/WEC champions Penn, Charles Oliveira, Sean Sherk, Urijah Faber and Yair Rodriguez, who was an interim champion.

Edgar (24-11-1) had three successful title defenses at lightweight, which is tied for the most in the history of the division with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Benson Henderson and Penn. The Toms River, New Jersey, native has the second-longest total fight time in UFC history (7 hours, 57 minutes, 10 seconds) and is tied for second in post-fight bonuses (8, with Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier).