Feared striker Edson Barboza got back on track with a three-round bludgeoning of Dan Hooker (watch highlights here) in the main event of last night’s (Sat., December 15, 2018) UFC on FOX 31 from Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Barboza nailed Hooker with everything except the kitchen sink. He landed a ton of his lethal leg kicks, several big hooks upstairs, and an endless array of kicks and punches to the body. Hooker was supremely tough, perhaps even too tough for his own good. It appeared that Hooker was nearly out on several occasions. Yet he fought on, even to his own detriment. He was mercifully stopped in the third round after a hellacious body shot.
After the fight, Dana White revealed on the FOX Sports 1 post-fight show (via MMA News) that Hooker wouldn’t even accept assistance backstage. He was upset at himself for losing. But White said he had nothing to be ashamed of:
“There’s a lot of tough guys and girls in this sport, okay? He gets to the back, refuses crutches, refuses help to walk, gets into the area where the physicians look at him and was just so upset with himself. He’s got nothing to be upset about. He showed a ton of toughness tonight,
Like many, White also agreed that the fight should have been called earlier than it was:
“Fight should have been stopped earlier than it was.”
Finally, he offered praise for Barboza’s effort. To him, the bludgeoning win was a statement:
“Edson Barboza, wow. That kid came out tonight and made a statement. He’s nasty.”
Indeed he is, and indeed he did. Barboza is now back on track after two consecutive defeats to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kevin Lee. Who should he face next?
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