Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight veteran Edson Barboza, who spent most of his career competing at 155 pounds, is ready to explore options outside the Octagon after completing the final fight on his current contract.
“I have one more fight on my contract and I plan on doing this fight, and we’ll think about what we’ll do next after the contract is completed,” Barboza told MMA Fighting. “I’m in the UFC for 10 years, I love fighting in the UFC, and everything I have today I’ve undoubtedly conquered with the UFC so I love being there, but I’m open to offers — after this fight, of course.”
The 34 year-old Barboza (21-9) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak by capturing a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige. The Brazilian may be approaching double-digit losses, but he’s also faced the best in the world on a consistent basis.
“The same way I’m anxious to my next fight, I’m also anxious to knowing what my next steps will be after the fight,” Barboza continued. “I honestly don’t know really well what will happen, but I’ll wait for after this fight first and then see what my decisions are.”
No word yet on what the promotion has in mind for his final fight, but Barboza is hoping to score someone in the Top 6 (see it here). Some of the names being bandied about include Calvin Kattar and Max Holloway, just to name a few.
A win over a big name — and a spot in the featherweight title chase — would certainly be enough incentive to stick around, but that’s up to Barboza and his team, who will no doubt talk to Bellator MMA, PFL, and ONE Championship.