The UFC has decided to keep Edson Barboza on the roster, with the former hero having signed a new multiplayer contract with the group. Barboza manager Alex Davis broke the news to MMA Fighting without revealing the exact terms of his contract.
“The UFC has chosen to re-sign Barboza and keep him on the roster, and keep him active going forward. Barboza and I believe that what it takes to run for the belt and be a hero, and that is his focus, ”Alex Davis told MMA Fighting.
A keystay of the UFC light division for more than a decade, Edson Barboza has a 15-9 record under the UFC banner while his overall record as a professional MMA champion stands at 21-9.
Barboza is known for his explosive fighting style, heavy kick and well-bred takedown defense. 12 out of Barboza’s 21 pro wins have come through hitting and he will tie the roster for most wins in the UFC light division (seven) with Melvin Guillard. He also ties the record for foot kick multiplayer (two) by Antoni Hardonk.
Barboza was the first fighter in UFC history to score from kicking a wheel when he defeated Terry Etim at UFC 142 in 2012. The win is believed to be among the pieces most of UFC history and won ‘hit of the year’ honors from multiple sales.
A closer look at the career of Edson Barboza UFC
Edson Barboza is a classic example of a hero torn into top-level competition faster than he should have been. After making his UFC debut maintaining a perfect 6-0 professional record, Barboza went on a four-fight winning streak in the lightweight division, scoring wins over the likes of Ross Pearson and Teri Etim. Although his first run was impressive, the Brazilian was still an achievable 26-year-old talent that needed to be built into a competitor over time.
Barboza battled former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner at UFC 146 in his fifth UFC fight and lost the fight through TKO in round one. In Brazil’s UFC career after Varner’s fight he saw many incidents of sustained wins followed by losses in high fights.
Edson Barboza has beaten the famous fighters Dan Hooker, Paul Felder, Beneil Dariush, and Gilbert Melendez. However, the fiery striker always fell short of breaking into the top tier of the lightweight division and lost to fighters like Tony Ferguson, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje, and Donald Cerrone to name a few.
Barboza’s repeated failure to score breakout achievements resulted in him being listed as a gatekeeper for the top five. A gatekeeper is a fighter who is so good that he maintains his place among the top seven for a long time, but he never goes over that to become a fighter. competition.
Edson Barboza moved down to featherweight in 2020 to try to run at the title. After losing his first regional trip against Dan Ige through a split decision, Brazil kicked back with a unanimous decision winning over Makwan Amirkhani in October 2020.
Before fighting Dan Ige, Edson Barboza had expressed his desire to contract and test waters as a free agent.