When Edgar’s name was on the fight card, there were certain expectations, and he always delivered them. Win, lose or draw, he was going to show up in shape, on weight, and ready to fight against anyone, anywhere at any time. That was evident even before he made it to the UFC when Edgar, still working his day job, was fighting on the Jersey regional scene against the likes of Jim Miller and Deividas Taurosevicius.
But his reputation was cemented when he went to war with Tyson Griffin for three rounds in his UFC debut in 2007, surviving a locked-in kneebar to get the unanimous decision victory and his first of eight Fight of the Night bonuses. And that was on a card featuring Anderson Silva, Mirko Cro Cop, “Rampage” Jackson and Lyoto Machida.
It wouldn’t be the last time Edgar stole the show from bigger names. It was just what he did. He didn’t get into trash talk wars or Twitter battles, there was no pushing and shoving at press conferences or weigh-ins, no screaming just to hear the sound of his own voice. Edgar was always all-business, content to let his fists do the talking. In this day and age, that’s not easy. To do it for over 15 years has to be near-impossible. But Edgar never changed. He was a true pro, a perfect ambassador for the sport, and an example not just to his daughter and and two sons, but to his peers, none of whom had anything negative to say about him.