![7 Questions with Toms River’s Frankie Edgar: His Career, Family, & Helping Others](https://townsquare.media/site/380/files/2021/03/GettyImages-1230987867.jpg?w=980&q=75)
7 Questions with Toms River’s Frankie Edgar: His Career, Family, & Helping Others
Frankie "The Answer" Edgar is an iconic figure in what is often a brutal sport. Born and raised in Toms River he is among the most popular MMA fighters of all-time and a former UFC lightweight champion. A former champion wrestler at Toms River High School East and later Clarion University he got into mixed martial arts with very little boxing skills but his ability to take opponents to the mat helped him quickly rise up the rankings.
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However it's his heart that has helped him thrive and survive in the UFC for an incredible 14 years. Edgar is only 5'6 but has never let that stand in his way of carving out a successful career. At 39 years old and coming off a first-round knockout loss in January he is not talking retirement but rather resting some injuries and getting ready for his next trip into the cage.
Edgar is as Toms River as they come and proud of his hometown where he resides with his wife Renee, sons Francesco (12) and Santino (10) and daughter Valentina (6). He is happy to lend his name to causes he believes in and most recently has jumped on board to support NJ4NJ, a non-profit created to help the small business community in New Jersey manage through his pandemic. Edgar through his longtime wrestling trainer and friend Steve Rivera met with Vinnie Brunetti a former wrestler at Manalapan High School. Brunetti is not only the founder of NJ4NJ but has committed his own money to help local businesses survive for now and thrive when the pandemic is over. It sounds much like Frankie's career, one that will land him in the UFC Hall of Fame when his fighting days are over.
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