Edson Barboza Is Always Down To Scrap

If you are a fight fan, you’ve seen this knockout. There isn’t much else to say other than it is undoubtedly on the Mount Rushmore of the most stunning knockouts in UFC history. Skill-for-skill, theatrics, technique, timing and even Joe Rogan’s well-timed utterance of “get knocked out” all combine for the special brew that is Barboza’s knockout of Terry Etim. But of course, none of the surrounding factors bests Barboza’s actual spinning effort and eerily cool celebration.

vs Danny Castillo

In an example of Barboza’s great spirit, his comeback majority decision win over Danny Castillo showed how he is not just someone who looks good when he is ahead of his opponent. Castillo did well to rock Barboza before taking him down and threatening him for the better part of the first round, but in the following two frames, Barboza battled and battered his foe to get the nod on the scorecards. 

vs Paul Felder

Facing the then-undefeated Felder on short notice when “The Irish Dragon” replaced Myles Jury, Barboza and Felder put on a display of beautiful violence over the course of three rounds. Barboza got out ahead early in the first round although the young Felder was active, and he pushed back well in the second round. However, the veteran Barboza went to efficient and effective work in the third to get the decision in a fight that would be run back years later.

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vs Beneil Dariush

There is takedown defense—a skill of which Barboza is proficient— and then there’s launching a perfectly timed flying knee, which is what Barboza did when Dariush dove for a takedown in the second round of their bout. When Barboza reflects on the bout, he mentions he and his team had studied Dariush’s tendency to dip into a shot after throwing a straight punch, and he timed the counter to eye-popping perfection.

vs Shane Burgos

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When Barboza elected to move down to featherweight in 2020, questions about how much he had left in the tank were already buzzing about. He had lost four of his last five at 155 pounds, and moving down 10 pounds at 34 years old seemed like a tall task. He made the weight fine and lost a razor-close split decision to Dan Ige in his divisional debut before snapping his losing streak against Makwan Amirkhani, but his bout with Shane Burgos at UFC 262 was the one people looked at as whether he still could compete at the top level. Against the pressure-heavy and tough Burgos, Barboza showed every bit of his veteran know-how until the third round when he placed a perfect right hand on Burgos, who quite literally took a moment to realize what hit him.

vs Sodiq Yusuff