Sports

Former UFC champ Edgar pitching in with hurricane relief on Jersey shore

The Jersey shore has been a huge part of Frankie Edgar’s life since he was a kid.

“I grew up pretty much on the boardwalk – every summer,” the former UFC lightweight champion told The Post in a phone interview Tuesday. “I bring my kids there still.”

Edgar, a Toms River native, was crushed when he saw the damage Hurricane Sandy did to places like Seaside Heights and Ortley Beach. His mother-in-law lost her house in the devastating superstorm.

Edgar immediately jumped into action. He helped anyway he could, loading and unloading trucks in the destroyed areas. Last week, he participated in MTV’s “Restore the Shore” telethon along with the cast of “Jersey Shore.”

“It’s my home,” Edgar said. “It’s where I live. People I know were directly affected by it. When it hits home like that, you have to do something.”

The MMA star’s house didn’t sustain any damage, but he and his family were without power for a week. With the areas slowly recovering, Edgar has returned to his regular training schedule in preparation for a big fight Feb. 2 against featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 156 in Las Vegas.

This will be his first UFC fight at 145 pounds, a 10-pound drop from his title weight. But Edgar was already a small lightweight and barely cut any pounds to make 155. He foresees a similar scenario for the Aldo fight.

“I don’t think I have to diet for this fight either,” Edgar said.

Edgar, 31, says he could probably make 135 pounds, but isn’t sure how his body would react.

“My conditioning is always there,” Edgar said of not cutting much weight. “The week of the fight I like to be still training and worrying about the fight itself, not just the weight cut.”

The area’s top fighter likely won’t be on the UFC’s card in April at Prudential Center in Newark because it would be too quick of a turnaround after fighting in February. Edgar hasn’t fought in New Jersey since he beat Spencer Fisher in 2007. It was his third UFC fight.

“The timing hasn’t been there,” Edgar said. “Hopefully I get to fight in New Jersey again.”

His goal, though, is to compete at Madison Square Garden. But of course MMA is not yet legal in New York. Edgar has helped the UFC lobby in Albany multiple times and said he’d be ready again in 2013 if they need him to do it.

“That’s a dream of mine,” Edgar said of fighting at MSG. “They call it the World’s Most Famous Arena for a reason. … [MMA legalization in New York] is inevitable. It’s politics and whatnot. Sooner or later we’ll get there.”

Edgar hasn’t forgotten where he came from despite his status as one of the most popular fighters in the UFC. That’s one of the reasons why he didn’t hesitate to help those affected by Sandy on the Jersey shore.

“It’s a shame,” he said. “I don’t know what summer is gonna bring.”

mraimondi@nypost.com