Yves Edwards

At 48 years old, Yves Edwards has this physical status:

Edwards made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 1997 and compiled a record of 18-5-1 before being signed by the UFC.

Edwards made his UFC debut at UFC 33 against Matt Serra and was defeated via unanimous decision. He would then go 6–1 in his next seven appearances under the Zuffa banner.

At UFC 49, Edwards knocked out Josh Thomson by way of a spectacular flying head-kick. Due to the fact that the lightweight division had no current champion at the time, Edwards was regarded as "The Uncrowned Lightweight Champion of the UFC."

After two wins in the EliteXC promotion, Edwards lost to EliteXC Lightweight Champion K. J. Noons via KO in the first round in June 2008, and lost a unanimous decision to Duane Ludwig at Strikeforce: Destruction.

He rebounded with a submission victory against James Warfield in September 2009, and next defeated Kyle Jensen by way of TKO in the first round. Yves followed up that victory the following February with an impressive quick TKO of fellow UFC veteran Derrick Noble.

Edwards returned to the UFC against John Gunderson on September 15, 2010 at UFC Fight Night 22, replacing Efrain Escudero who was promoted to the main card. Edwards won the fight via unanimous decision.

Edwards was expected to face Melvin Guillard on January 22, 2011, at UFC Fight Night 23, but Guillard was promoted to the main event against Evan Dunham after Kenny Florian was forced off the card with an injury. Edwards then faced replacement Cody McKenzie on the card, and won via rear naked choke in the second round earning Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors.

Edwards fought Sam Stout on June 11, 2011 at UFC 131 and was knocked out by an overhand left at 3:52 of the first round.

Edwards defeated Rafaello Oliveira via second-round TKO on October 1, 2011 at UFC on Versus 6.

Edwards faced Tony Ferguson on December 3, 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Edwards lost the fight via unanimous decision in a back and forth fight.

Edwards was expected to face Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier on May 15, 2012. However, Edwards was forced from the bout with an injury and replaced by Jeremy Stephens.

Edwards was expected to face Jeremy Stephens on October 5, 2012 at UFC on FX 5. However, the bout was cancelled due to Stephens being arrested on the day of the event for an assault charge that dated back to 2011. The fight eventually took place on December 8, 2012 at UFC on Fox 5. Edwards won by knockout in the first round, being the first fighter to ever stop Stephens via strikes.

Edwards faced promotional newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg on February 2, 2013 at UFC 156. He lost the fight via split decision.

Edwards was expected to face Spencer Fisher on July 27, 2013 at UFC on Fox 8. However, on July 11, Fisher was removed from the bout due to injury and replaced by Daron Cruickshank. He lost a split decision.

Edwards made his nineteenth UFC appearance when he took on Yancy Medeiros at UFC Fight For The Troops 3 on November 6, 2013. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. The loss, however, was subsequently overturned to a no contest when Medeiros tested positive for marijuana.

Edwards was expected to face Piotr Hallmann at UFC 173 on May 24, 2014. However, the bout was moved and took place on June 7, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 42 instead. Edwards lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the third round.

Edwards faced Akbarh Arreola on November 22, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 57. He lost the fight via armbar submission in the first round.

Following the loss, Edwards announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts, closing out his career after seventeen years. Edwards said on Facebook "Fighting has been a part of my life ever since I was 17 and that makes this a hard pill to swallow but it's time for me to end this chapter and move on to the next part of my life." Edwards is the only mixed martial arts fighter that competed for UFC, PRIDE, WEC, Strikeforce and Bellator.

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