Frankie Edgar will not be making his bareknuckle boxing debut this weekend.
The UFC Hall of Famer was scheduled to fight at BKFC 82 this Saturday against fellow UFC veteran Jimmie Rivera. The event takes place at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., the first sanctioned bareknuckle boxing event in the state. NJ.com first reported the news, which was confirmed by BKFC president David Feldman during a pre-fight media call with co-owner Conor McGregor on Wednesday evening.
“After further review with our chief medical officer, we decided that Frankie Edgar was not going to compete this Saturday,” Feldman said during the call. “We’re going to look into it, and see what his future looks like, but he will not be competing this Saturday.”
Edgar, 43, will be replaced by Timmy Mason, who is 2-2 under the BKFC banner, and coming off a first-round TKO of AJ Craig in August.
“The Answer” has not competed in combat sports since retiring from the UFC in November 2022. He walked away from the sport on a three-fight skid, which were all stoppage losses.
“I’m very upset for Frankie,” McGregor said. “I’m sure he’s devastated, and you know, health is paramount here. We will address it, and we will re-evaluate it, and see where we go. Hopefully, we get Frankie in here at another date, but safety is paramount, and we take that with great care at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC legend removed from BKFC debut due to health concerns
