Despite his recent frustrations, Edson Barboza isn’t going anywhere.
The battle-tested Brazilian spent most of 2020 talking about a move to free agency following a decade of combat sports action inside the Octagon. But when the time came to put pen to paper, the 35 year-old striker instead opted to stay put and re-sign with UFC.
“The UFC has opted to re-sign Barboza and keep him on the roster and keep him active going forward,” manager Alex Davis told MMA Fighting. “Barboza and I believe he has what it takes to make a run for the belt and become champion, and that’s his focus.”
After losing back-to-back fights in 2019, Barboza (21-9) dropped down to the featherweight division, coming up short against Dan Ige at UFC on ESPN 8 before rebounding with a unanimous decision victory over Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Island 5.
As of this writing, the No. 14-ranked Barboza remains unbooked.