The confidence lost over the last three years was back in full form on Thursday.

B.J. Penn, the former two-division UFC world champion who hasn’t won a fight since 2010, is back after the longest layoff of his 13-year professional career.

He’s back fighting in a main event. He’s back fighting in a weight class more suited to his physical build.

And he’s back fighting Frankie Edgar for a third time.

"I’m just so pumped about this fight because I’m so confident," Penn said Thursday in a one-on-one interview with the Star-Advertiser. "I see something big on the horizon. I see me wiping out Frankie Edgar."

Wiping out Frankie Edgar in the main event of Sunday’s Ultimate Fighter 19 finale event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas would mean more than just beating one of the top-ranked 145-pound fighters in the world.

Erasing Edgar would ease one of the biggest disappointments of Penn’s mixed martial arts career that has spanned 27 fights in three organizations contested in four weight classes.

Edgar ended Penn’s most successful title run as lightweight champion with a stunning unanimous decision at UFC 110 in April of 2010.

It ended an eight-year undefeated streak at 155 pounds and was the first of four losses in Penn’s last six fights — including a one-sided rematch in August of 2010 in which Edgar dominated Penn.

The chance at one last shot to beat Edgar was enough to bring Penn, who hasn’t fought since December of 2012, out of retirement.

It was also enough to make him coach a second season of the "Ultimate Fighter" reality show — something he swore he would never do after his first season opposite Jens Pulver in 2007.

"Being able to fight Frankie was what ultimately convinced me to do the show," Penn said. "It’s tough man. It really is a tough show to film. But that was the deal offered to me to fight Frankie, so I did it."

Now 35 years old, Penn (16-9-2), will compete in his 23rd UFC fight, which trails only Tito Ortiz (27), Matt Hughes (25) and Randy Couture (24) for the most fights inside the octagon.

He was beaten badly in decision losses to Rory MacDonald and Nick Diaz in his last two fights, but he’s dropping down from the 170-pound middleweight division to compete in the 145-pound featherweight division for the first time.

UFC president Dana White, who has had a rocky relationship with Penn through the years, said this week that he will try to force Penn to retire if he loses to Edgar.

"I totally understand where Dana is coming from," Penn said. "It’s been a rocky road these past few years. That’s why it’s my job to give him a reason to say, ‘B.J., don’t ever stop fighting.’ "

That only comes with a win over Edgar (14-4-1), who has only lost once in his career in non-title fights.

Edgar dropped three straight title bouts in 2012 and ’13, losing twice to former lightweight champion Benson Henderson and once to current featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

Edgar won six of his first seven fights in the UFC but was mostly under the radar until his back-to-back wins over Penn.

"They were both rewarding in their own right," Edgar said during Monday’s UFC conference call. "The second time was a little reassuring because everyone thought the first time was a fluke."

Always the underdog to Penn, Edgar is now more than a 2-to-1 favorite. This time, Penn is the one fighting with something to prove. And that suits him just fine.

"I know who Frankie Edgar is now," Penn said. "I look at Frankie and I realize how good he is. It’s exciting all around because I get to go up against the guy who handed me my last two losses at lightweight. Now it’s like am I good enough? Can I beat this guy?"

We’ll find out Sunday.

Doane gets pay-per-view fight

Honolulu’s Russell Doane will open the UFC 175 pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday night when he fights Marcus Brimage in a 135-pound bout.

Doane (13-3) won his UFC debut in January with a submission victory over Leandro Issa, who was forced to tap out with 1 second remaining in the second round.

Brimage (6-2 overall) won his first three UFC fights before losing to Conor McGregor back in April.

The pay-per-view broadcast begins at 4 p.m. Hawaii time. The main event is a middleweight world title fight between champion Chris Weidman and challenger Lyoto Machida.