Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn will forever be linked in fighting history after sharing the octagon three times, two of which were championship bouts.

The rivalry was rarely hostile, however, so when Edgar (23-6-1 MMA, 17-6-1 UFC) sees his frequent counterpart Penn (16-14-2 MMA, 12-13-2 UFC) enduring the longest losing skid in UFC history at seven consecutive fights, he said he doesn’t like it.

“I watched B.J. coming up and his highlights and it’s tough seeing him lose fight after fight,” Edgar told MMA Junkie. “But he’s the guy in there, not me. He knows what the deal is, he knows what he wants to accomplish, so I can’t knock anybody that wants to do what they want to do.”

Edgar admits he doesn’t know what is motivating the UFC Hall of Famer and former two-division champion Penn, who has also been dealing with a bevy of personal issues outside of fighting, motivated to continue to compete. The Hawaiian is 40 and hasn’t won a fight since Nov. 2010, but appears to have little urge to hang up his gloves.

Although Edgar admits it’s not his place to encourage Penn to retire, his opinion is that he should.

“Do I wish he would retire and just enjoy life? Probably,” Edgar said. “It’s probably what’s best for his body, but I don’t really know what’s going on in his head. … I’m sure everybody has a little piece in it, but ultimately it’s up to him. No one is putting a gun to his head and making him fight. It’s all on him.”

Edgar’s first encounter with Penn came at UFC 112 in April 2010. Edgar would claim the UFC lightweight title at that event, then go on to beat Penn again in an immediate rematch at UFC 118. Their final meeting would take place in July 2014, with Edgar winning once more and stopping Penn inside the distance.

The wins seem like distant memories at this point, but Edgar said the feelings of his first showdown with Penn are being brought back to life going into his next fight. He’s set to challenge dominant featherweight champion Max Holloway (20-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC), who also hails from Hawaii, at UFC 240 in July. It’s likely Edgar will be a sizable underdog as he looks to claim UFC gold, much like he was in his first title opportunity.

Edgar said he’s using those memories as fuel going into UFC 240.

“A little over nine years ago I fought a guy I wasn’t supposed to be in there with, that was supposed to wipe the mat with me and I proved some people wrong,” Edgar said. “This is a familiar position for myself.”

UFC 240 takes place July 27 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The main card will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

For more on UFC 240, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.