Frankie Edgar
Active 2012–present · rated in 5 editions across 2 divisions · peak overall 91.0
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Frankie Edgar at featherweight
Scouting report
Frankie Edgar appears across UFC 3 (2012) through EA 3 (2018) at featherweight. Born in Toms River, New Jersey, "The Answer" moved down from lightweight, where he had fought a trilogy against Gray Maynard, and earned a title shot against Jose Aldo in his new division. His featherweight card carries a 94 Cardio rating and an 86 Overall in the early editions, tied to his high output pace.
Peak ratings
By edition
Moving down to featherweight in 2013, Edgar challenged Jose Aldo at UFC 156, giving the champion a close five-round fight, before defeating Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision at UFC 162 in Las Vegas. His footwork, boxing volume, and reactive takedowns are reflected in an 92 Boxing and 98 Cardio rating.
Edgar went on a four-fight winning streak across 2014 and 2015, defeating BJ Penn by TKO, submitting Cub Swanson with a neck crank at 4:56 of round five in Austin, defeating Urijah Faber in Manila, and knocking out Chad Mendes in round one at TUF 22 Finale. His chain wrestling and boxing combinations anchor his 92 Boxing and 90 Wrestling.
At UFC 200 in July 2016, Edgar lost an interim title decision to Jose Aldo, then rebounded with wins over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 205 in Madison Square Garden and Yair Rodriguez via doctor stoppage at UFC 211 in Dallas. His ring generalship and wrestling pace are captured in an 89 Wrestling and 96 Cardio.
In 2018, Edgar was knocked out by Brian Ortega at UFC 222, then rebounded with a decision win over Cub Swanson in Atlantic City. In July 2019 at UFC 240 in Edmonton, he challenged Max Holloway for the featherweight title across twenty-five minutes. His boxing output and wrestling are reflected in an 89 Boxing and 87 Wrestling.
Frankie Edgar and the engine that never turned off
Frankie Edgar beat BJ Penn to take the lightweight title, beat him again four months later, and won a third meeting years afterward. He dropped to featherweight and kept fighting near the top, facing Jose Aldo twice. He makes bigger, stronger opponents look sluggish because he never stops moving and never lets a round settle. In this game he is a foundational pick with a very high floor.
Edgar attribute by attribute
Boxing. Fast, sharp and built on movement. He darts in with combinations and leaves before a counter arrives.
Kickboxing. Solid. He uses angled kicks and leg work to keep range, but strikes with the hands first.
Wrestling. A Rutgers wrestler with a very good takedown chain. He is also skilled at getting back to his feet.
BJJ. Enough to defend on the mat and to threaten from top position, though it is not what defines him.
Strength. Modest for the class. He wins scrambles with quickness and timing rather than force.
Durability. He handled hard shots across many rounds, including his wars with Gray Maynard, and kept working.
Cardio. Best in the pool. He fights at a pace that most opponents cannot match for five rounds.
Fight IQ. Excellent. He adjusts between rounds and rarely lets a bad exchange become a bad round.
The trait to lean on: Cardio
Cardio carries Edgar. A fighter who is fresher in round five is effectively a stronger fighter in the rounds that decide close cards. If you expect to draft other fighters who fade, he gives you a way to win the late minutes.
The slot to cover: Strength
He is not a physical bully at either weight. Against a big wrestler who can lean on him against the fence, his answer is to move and change angles. Plan for that by picking supporting fighters who can handle a heavier grind.
Frankie Edgar at lightweight
Scouting report
Edgar won the UFC Lightweight Championship from BJ Penn at UFC 112 by decision, then defended it against Gray Maynard twice: surviving a first-round knockdown to draw at UFC 125, then stopping Maynard with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch at UFC 136. Born in Toms River, New Jersey, his lightweight 90 Overall rating is backed by a 94 Cardio, the same number that carried him through three championship fights against elite wrestlers without his output declining. This UFC 3 (2012) card is his only lightweight appearance, covering the window when he held the belt before dropping to featherweight.
Peak ratings
Frankie Edgar, an undersized champion at 155
Frankie Edgar was small for lightweight and beat much of the division anyway. He took the title from BJ Penn in 2010 and beat him again in the rematch, then fought Gray Maynard three times. Maynard won their first meeting in 2008, the second ended in a draw, and Edgar knocked him out in the fourth round of the third. Benson Henderson eventually took the belt from him. As a card, Edgar is a lot more than a scrappy underdog.
The lightweight ratings in detail
Boxing. Elite for the weight. Edgar enters and exits with quick combinations, and his hands are better than most of the division expects.
Kickboxing. Fair. He uses movement more than kicks, and his lower body damage is limited.
Wrestling. Excellent. His takedowns and his defensive wrestling both let him choose where the fight goes.
BJJ. Comfortable. He gets up from bad spots and is rarely finished on the mat.
Strength. His lowest score. At 5 foot 6 he gives up size and leverage in the clinch.
Durability. Excellent. Maynard hit him hard in their fights and Edgar kept coming back.
Cardio. The highest number on the card. Round five looks like round one for him.
Fight IQ. Very sharp. He rarely repeats a failed plan and his in-fight adjustments are quick.
The pick is Cardio, up at 98
Cardio is the top rating and it is nearly maxed. For a lightweight card this is the reason to take him, because he wins rounds simply by continuing to do the right things when opponents cannot.
The number to cover: Strength
Strength is his lowest rating at 76. Bigger lightweights can bully him along the cage, so pair the card with something that helps in physical exchanges instead of leaving that gap open.
Keep exploring
Closest featherweight profiles to Frankie Edgar, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Movsar Evloevbest wrestling 94 · weakest kickboxing 80
- Alexander Volkanovskibest fight iq 97 · weakest bjj 85
- Ilia Topuriabest boxing 96 · weakest strength 86
- Max Hollowaybest cardio 98 · weakest wrestling 78
- Featherweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Frankie Edgar's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Frankie Edgar into your build
Frankie Edgar enters the pool on any spin landing on featherweight or lightweight between 2010 and 2019. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are our own, built from independent research and from how Frankie Edgar is regarded by the MMA community, with earlier MMA video games used only as a starting baseline for the scale. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Frankie Edgar's real-world abilities. See the disclaimer below. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read how we check our write-ups in our editorial standards.