At UFC 134, Edson “Junior” Barboza (9-0) faced off against The Ultimate Fighter 9 winner, Ross Pearson (12-5).
It was a lot closer than many fans expected, as in the end Barboza was able to walk away with a hard fought split decision victory and the Fight of the Night award.
Barboza is now 3-0 in the UFC, with two unanimous decision victories, two fight of the night awards and a TKO due to leg kicks.
He would certainly appear to be dangerous to anyone, but is he a future contender in the stacked lightweight division?
Absolutely.
Barboza is only 25 years old and has been involved in MMA for about two years. He’s getting better and better each time he fights.
In addition to his MMA career, he also took part in some professional kickboxing matches. He went 25-3 with 22 knockouts.
That’s a higher percentage of KO’s than Mirko Cro Cop’s pro kickboxing record. I’m going to let that soak in for a minute.
Barboza is also a purple belt in BJJ and is working on his game every day.
Eventually, Barboza will be just as frightening on the ground as he is on his feet.
If he can work wrestling and develop some great takedown defense, he will be able to hang with the guys in the top of the division like Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Clay Guida.
By the time Barboza is 29, he will have fought, or will soon be fighting, for a UFC title.
This kid is the real deal. He’s the next big thing at lightweight.
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