The fine line between early and late stoppages in MMA has become increasingly muddled in recent months.

Between Herb Dean’s perceived early stoppages in UFC 169 and UFC 170 headliners, to the nearly criminal late stoppage at a EFC event a week ago, there’s no denying that MMA refereeing is inconsistent at best.

If it were up to former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, though, he wouldn’t have a referee stop one of his fights until the final possible moment.

“If it’s me, let me be limp before you stop it,” Edgar recently told MMAjunkie Radio. “It’s tough to be a ref, especially in that situation when they’ve got to protect the fighters. But I want every chance I can get. Let me go out on my shield.”

Edgar has about as much experience as anyone when it comes to walking that fine line. Few can forget his epic battles with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 and UFC 136. In both fights, “The Answer” was badly hurt by his opponent’s power strikes, and he suffered multiple knockdowns in the early rounds of each contest.

Many MMA referees would have stopped one or both of those fights in Maynard’s favor. In these instances, though, Edgar was given the opportunity to fight on, which ultimately allowed him to rally back and hang on to his lightweight title.

If Edgar hadn’t been given the opportunity, though, it’s very likely his career would currently have an entirely different complexion. That’s just one reason why he thinks all fighters should be given the same opportunity to fight out of a compromising spot.

“It’s definitely the referee’s discretion, but I want every chance to come back,” Edgar said. “In the Maynard fights, someone else may have stopped it. Obviously the ref didn’t, and he made the right choice because I bounced back. That was the right choice.”

With MMA still in such an infantile state, no one really knows the true long-term repercussions Edgar may experience because of those grueling bouts. There’s constant pressure on referees to not spoil a fighter’s chance to come back and win – but also not to allow him or her to take a prison-style thrashing inside the confines of a regulated MMA bout.

From the perspective of a fighter, Edgar knows the potential pitfalls of unnecessary blows to the head. At the same time, though, this sport is his livelihood, and he wants his chance of winning to bottom out at zero percent before a referee saves him.

“I’m a fighter; I can’t help it,” Edgar said. “I’m a competitor. I want to win, and if I feel a ref stopped it too early, I would be upset.

“I just want the chance to come back. I’m sure it would never be like that where I’m getting my head beat in and the ref wouldn’t stop it, but I just want a chance to come back.”

Edgar (16-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC) will look to avoid putting himself in any such situations when he faces fellow head coach B.J. Penn (16-9-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC) for a third time in the main event of The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6.

For the latest on The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.