After 15 years of battling inside the Octagon, Frankie Edgar was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024 under the modern wing. In a glorious ceremony, Dana White called him “one of the greatest athletes in UFC history,” words every fighter wants to hear at least once in their life. However, even as ‘The Answer’ has lived that moment, what if I told you it could all have been just a dream after his MMA debut turned into a literal horror story? 

The Jersey native had his first MMA fight against Eric Uresk at the regional promotion Underground Combat League in 2005. The fight was unsanctioned, as clashing inside a cage was still illegal in the city at the time, a criminal offense. Still, an aspiring Edgar ended up winning the bout against Uresk, finally taking the first big step. But while the fight went in his favor, a scary instance of a broken orbital bone blocked the air in his nose. When he tried to blow out the blood, it swelled his face! 

UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar reveals horrific details of his first MMA fight

“I looked like I really didn’t get into a fight, but my nose was a little bloody. I went to the bathroom to blow my nose, and apparently, I had broken my orbital bone, which opens up a sinus passage. My whole eye just blew up with air. I had air in between my skin and my [skull]. I’m with [wrestling coach] Steve Rivera at the time, and he’s like ‘Holy s— dude, my god!’ We were trying to push the air out of my eyeball,”Edgar told NJ Advance Media HS Sports.

Well, that description definitely wasn’t for the faint-hearted, was it? But here’s the question. What actually caused the former UFC lightweight champion’s horrific scenario? According to NJ Advance Media’s article, during the fight, Edgar took a big knee that landed flush on his face, breaking his nose. After that, the MMA star landed a headbutt and controlled his opponent with his wrestling to earn a TKO victory, and that sequence appears to have caused the orbital bone break and the trapped air.

But at first, Frankie Edgar didn’t realize he had actually broken the bone near his nose. It was only after the 44-year-old reached the hospital with a severely swollen face that he understood why blowing his nose at that moment nearly ended his career.

“I walk out to the table and see my wife and my mother, and they’re like, ‘What happened to you?’” Edgar added. “I ended up going to the hospital, where I found out I broke my orbital bone. That was my first experience at fighting,” the former champ concluded. 

Now that was definitely a scary experience, as Frankie Edgar’s situation could’ve been far worse if he hadn’t reached the hospital in time. However, getting through that horrendous moment and then retiring as one of the best fighters in the UFC perfectly shaped his arc. So, as he said goodbye to the sport in 2022, what’s he up to now? 

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‘The Answer’ is following the footsteps of his inspiration   

Frankie Edgar retired from the sport after suffering his third straight loss against Chris Gutierrez at UFC 281. But even before that, ‘The Answer’ had clarity on what his next step was going to be. Following the end of his pro MMA career, the former champ wanted to open his own academy and shape the next generation of fighters, taking inspiration from Jersey-based coach Steven Rivera.

“I knew, like at the end of my career, like three to four years left, I would pivot to something different. I always felt like opening my own academy and gym was a good option. Even before I was fighting, I knew I was a big Steve Rivera guy, so I wanted to open up my wrestling club and kind of follow him in his footsteps,” Edgar told NJ Advance Media HS Sports.

“And you know, my career in MMA, I thought I might just open up a jiu-jitsu school, and do Muay Thai and MMA and a little bit of wrestling in there too. I knew you gotta plan for the future,” he added. 

Now, for the unversed, the UFC Hall of Famer is already running a martial arts gym in his hometown that provides aspiring fighters training across most MMA disciplines. Once again, Edgar has achieved exactly what he envisioned. 

That said, what do you think about the former lightweight champ’s journey of achieving greatness by not giving up even after such a horrific injury? Let us know in the comments section below.