Frankie Edgar vs. Chris Gutierrez UFC 281 MSG New York Fight Video Replay Livestream Full HD Part 1

The Bantamweight talents Frankie Edgar and Chris Gutierrez will meet at UFC 281 this weekend( Sat., Nov. 12, 2022) from Madison Square Garden in New York City .

For "The Answer", the road remains ever difficult. This will be the native 's last walk to the Octagon, and he will not get a softball in classic Edgar fashion. Despite a pair of knockout losses in his last two fights, Edgar has been fighting well and only losing to elite opponents. Gutierrez has been climbing the bantamweight ladder steadily. He is unbeaten in his previous seven fights and is approaching the 10th year mark of his professional career. He 's at his prime at 31 years of age , and has earned an opportunity against a ranked legend in Edgar.

In this fight, both men are well equipped to take advantage of the other 's weakness. Simply put, Gutierrez has previously been hustled and out wrestled. For example, just two years ago, the fairly unheralded Cody Durden Gutierrez simply refused to relent on the takedown.

Edgar has remained a fighter able to take an inch and turn it into miles even as he 's grown older. He 's a very difficult man to defeat when able to complete takedowns. Edgar controlled Vera for solid portions of their fight, and "Chito" is a more proven grappler and scrambler than "El Guapo".

The earlier Edgar makes this a wrestling match, the better. Very, very few 41- year- old fighters can wrestle for 15 minutes without fatiguing and imploding, but it still feels like Edgar is that rare exception.

As the takedown is the path for Edgar, Gutierrez 's favorite calf kick is his best weapon here. Dating back to the Ben Henderson fight in 2012, calf kicks have been proven to work well against Edgar 's lateral movement. Moving side- to- side and changing directions is too built into his style to change, and that leaves him open to being swept from his feet and damaged by calf kicks.

Gutierrez is brutally effective once his foe is limping. Without his speed and ability to transition into powerful takedowns, Edgar 's kickboxing becomes a whole lot more one- note. Gutierrez can take away his foe 's best weapon quickly, provided he does not get taken down in the process .

Edgar spent over a decade as an elite, Top 5- ranked fighter. Even outside of his championship reign— which, again, is unimaginable right now. Imagine Aljamain Sterling trying to challenge Islam Makhachev— his longevity and accomplishments are set in history. No one has spent more time inside the UFC 's Octagon than Edgar, and while riding off into the sunset on a win would be more ideal, it does not really matter for his legacy.

ForGutierrez, the situation is not quite so romantic. He 's trying to pulverize another opponent and earn a position in the rankings. Ranked spots are tough to come by at 135 pounds, where so many talented prospects are constantly fighting for the slightest opening. It 's a huge opportunity, and Gutierrez does not want to get shut down by a fighter on his way out if the title is his end goal.