Frankie Edgar, the 40-year-old UFC veteran, faces Marlon Vera at this weekend's UFC 268. The fighter is hoping to prove his mettle once again, particularly after the brutal knockout loss to Cory Sandhagen in February. In an interview with Indulge, he shares more about his plans for the upcoming match. Excerpts:
Tell us about competing against Marlon Vera. Is it going to be a tough match?
You're going to see the passion that I bring to all my fights. There's never a fight that I went into that I didn't put my all into, and that's why I think the fans like to watch me fight because I put my heart and soul into it. And I plan on doing that against Chito. The best way to make sure I get this done is by fighting to the best of my ability and listening to my coaches. And by making sure that all the work I've done comes to light in this fight.
You have faced some really tough opponents, and been part of challenging bouts. What's your learning been so far?
When I first started, I wasn't married. Now I have three kids. I've been married for 13 years and, along with the rigorous fight schedule, it has taught me a lot in my life. You need that support group behind you, not just in the gym, but in your personal life too. For sure, that definitely helps the mental capacity.
What would your advice be to your younger self?
Advice to my younger self is to relax a little bit. I was a little tense in my early days and always let minor things bother me. Now that I'm past all that, I realize those things weren't so major. They were definitely minor.
What's your fitness regimen like?
I leave it up to the professionals that I hire for that stuff. A good warm-up is very important, especially if you're sitting around before you get in the gym, especially at my age too. What we work on depends on what we're looking to accomplish, if it's a conditioning workout, I might do some stuff that's a little bit more rigorous for my heart rate, or if it's a strength workout, I may do stuff that's just a little bit slower paced, but heavier weights.
You have said some interesting things about Usman's next match.
Usman is my guy! So I have to go with Usman.
Who are your favourite opponents you would like to fight with?
I don't really like looking past fights. I'm just worried about Chito right now. When I get back to my winning ways and then we'll see who's nice after that.
Watch UFC 268 - Usman vs Covington LIVE on Sony Ten 2 & Sony Ten 3 (Hindi) channels on November 7, 2021, 7:30 am.