Frankie Edgar (UFC.com)

Frankie Edgar proved one thing tonight – he isn’t going anywhere. The New Jersey native proved that tonight at Yair Rodriguez’s expense. 

The 35-year old Edgar (22-5-1) dominated right out of the gate. After starting the first round with a takedown, Edgar decided to teach the young Rodriguez (10-2) a lesson. The latter ended up with a brutal swollen eye thanks to Edgar’s ground-and-pound style. It was tough for Yair to come back from that, especially with the nasty mark on his face. 

httpss://twitter.com/ufc/status/863589388239880192

While Yair was able to continue into the second round, the end result was inevitable. The referee stopped the match, awarding Edgar the victory. 

After the fight, Frankie Edgar dedicated his victory to teammate and former fighter Nick Catone, whose child died this past week. Edgar then made a point that he still has a lot left in the tank. He praised Yair, only to state a loss like this was needed for the young gun. He stated: 

“Before the fight, I said no matter what happens, Yair is going to be a superstar. Just not yet, you know? Sometimes you need losses like that to get to the next level. He’s going to be alright.”

Yair had his 8-fight win streak snapped, but he should be able to recover from this. 

What’s next for Frankie Edgar? Tonight’s victor already seems to have a plan. He wants the winner of the Max Holloway v. Jose Aldo Featherweight Title bout at UFC 212 on June 3rd. Over the last few years, he has gone 7-1 in high-profile fights. If tonight was any indication on how vicious he could be, Frankie may just get his wish.