Rob Font names the fighter he refused to face during his year lay-off

Rob Font recently revealed that he turned down a fight against Frankie Edgar during his year-long layoff due to injury.

The No. 6-ranked bantamweight contender, who recently defeated Adrian Yanez via first-round TKO at UFC 287 and earned a Performance of the Night bonus, spoke about the offer during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMAHour.

Font explained that although the opportunity to fight a big name like Frankie Edgar was tempting, he prioritized his health and stuck to his word of taking time off to recover from a torn ACL. He said:

"They were trying to offer me, Frankie Edgar... and it was though to [say] 'No', you know... It would have been a great fight, you know. Fell in a big names and big spotlight. But you know, how the health came first and stuck to our word and just took the time off."

Check out Rob Font's interview below [2:37:50 mark]:

Font picked up the injury during a fight against Ricky Simon in December 2019, when he attempted a takedown, and his foot came up, resulting in a torn ACL.

The 35-year-old's decision to prioritize his health and recovery shows his commitment to his long-term well-being as a professional athlete. By turning down a high-profile fight during his layoff, he demonstrated responsible decision-making and a focus on his own physical condition. This ultimately paid off with a successful return to the octagon and an impressive victory over Yanez.

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Rob Font reveals potential opponent for his next fight

Rob Font is already eyeing his next opponent after a statement victory against Adrian Yanez at UFC 287. Font, who was on a two-fight losing streak, is determined to continue his momentum and is looking for a big-name opponent for his next fight.

In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, the bantamweight said:

"Automatically I’d say, even though he’s coming off a couple of losses, Petr Yan... Chito [Vera], I’d love to get that rematch back. Chito rematch would be huge, Petr Yan fight would be huge, even though he’s coming off a couple of losses…

"I definitely don’t want to fight backward again. I figured that Deiveson Figueiredo, I know he wanted to come up. Big name, former champion, he wanted to fight, but obviously, that’s not happening, he’s staying down.”

Regardless of his opponent, Rob Font is ready for his next challenge. He expressed excitement about the possibilities and the potential for a high-profile matchup, mentioning the idea of a fight between him and Petr Yan in Boston as "insane."