Frank Edgar recently earned a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu while training at Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu in Hamilton, N.J., according to TheGarv.com.
Almeida -- the star pupil of Renzo Gracie -- is a world champion jiu-jitsu player who has also competed in mixed martial arts as a professional in the UFC, Pride FC and Pancrase since 2000. He is among the top grapplers in the sport today.
In short, he knows a thing or two about good ground skills, which makes the promotion of Edgar that much more impressive.
"The Answer" is a decorated high school (Toms River High School East) and collegiate (Clarion University) wrestler out of Toms River, N.J. He currently moonlights as an assistant wrestling coach at Rutgers University.
Thanks to his strong wrestling credentials and experience, Edgar made a successful transition to mixed martial arts in 2005. In fact, he rattled off eight consecutive wins to begin his professional career -- and he didn't do it against tomato cans, either.
Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek and Spencer Fisher are just a few of the notable opponents who Edgar has handled, which has helped him rise to the top of the very crowded UFC 155-pound division in short order.
Edgar recently rebounded from the first professional loss of his career to Gray Maynard (unanimous decision) at UFC Fight Night 13 to outpoint former number one contender Hermes Franca on all three judges scorecards at UFC Fight Night 14: "Silva vs. Irvin" in July.
The latter bout was dubbed the "Fight of the Night," earning Edgar and Franca each an additional $25,000 for their performances. It came as no surprise — Edgar is often involved in action-packed battles.
He'll get to put his new belt to the test soon enough. Edgar is slated to co-headline UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" against Matt Wiman at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., on Wednesday, December 10.
And you can watch him do it live on Spike TV, beginning at 9 p.m. ET on fight night.
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