“Can you imagine a fight between Max Holloway and I? I’m a huge fan of Holloway, I love his fights,” Barboza said.
Edson Barboza is targeting a fight with a top-ranked opponent at 145-pounds following his knockout win against Shane Burgos at UFC 262.
Barboza (22-9) picked up his second win on the bounce last weekend when he stopped Burgos in the third round of their fight. The Brazilian’s only loss in his new weight class was a controversial split decision against Dan Ige last May.
Talking recently to MMA Fighting, Barboza said his history in the promotion and recent form at featherweight has warranted him a fight with a top five opponent.
“I want to fight a top-5, man,” Barboza said. “I think I deserve to fight a top-5 given my history in the UFC. Something that motivates me to call for a top-5 opponent is knowing that it will be a great fight.”
A fight against former champion Max Holloway is one that catches the eye of Barboza. After losing his title and the rematch against Alex Volkanovski, Holloway rebounded with a win against Calvin Kattar in which he set a UFC record for the most significant strikes landed.
“I love to fight the best,” Barboza said. “Can you imagine a fight between Max Holloway and I? I’m a huge fan of Holloway, I love his fights, he’s one of my favorite fighters. It would be awesome, man.”
“I honestly don’t know if he wants to stay active or wait for the belt,” Barboza said of Holloway, “but it would be a pleasure to fight him.”