UFC great Frankie Edgar KO’d in final fight
NEW YORK (AP) — Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar lost the final bout of his MMA career when he was dropped by Chris Gutierrez at 2:01 of the first round of their fight at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
The 41-year-old Edgar took a knee to the head at UFC 281 for a brutal KO loss in his last time in the cage in a career that started in 2005. Gutierrez and Edgar had a long embrace after the spectacular finish in the 135-pound fight that quieted another packed crowd at MSG.
A New Jersey native, Edgar finished his career at 24-11-1 overall and 18-11-1 in the UFC.
Edgar entered the night with a UFC-record 7 hours, 55 minutes and 9 seconds of total fight time. His 1,799 significant strikes were second-best, and 73 takedowns were fourth on the career list.
“Ladies and gentleman, this is the final fight of his illustrious Hall of
Fame career,” octagon announcer Bruce Buffer bellowed to a roaring crowd. The intros to a packed house that included Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson were about as long as the fight.
“I’ve got my family here,” a crestfallen Edgar said. “That’s all that matters.”
Israel Adesanya defends his middleweight title against Brazilian knockout artist Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 281 at Madison
Square Garden. Pereira holds a 2-0 record against Adesanya but both wins came in their old kickboxing days. Adesanya is set to defend his 185-pound crown for a sixth time. Pereira is undefeated in three UFC fights.
Dustin Poirier also takes on Michael Chandler in a lightweight bout, and Dan Hooker scored a TKO win over Claudio Puelles at 4:06 of the second round in the first bout on the main card.