Edson Barboza knows exactly the fight to make for his first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title fight.
The career of one of Brazil’s all-time finest strikers has been loaded with highlights galore. After he expects to score another against the undefeated 13-0-1 Lerone Murphy at UFC Vegas 92 this weekend (Sat., May 18, 2024), Barboza (24-11) wants a title shot at Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF) gold.
Former UFC Featherweight champion, Max Holloway, captured the BMF title in a perfectly violent fashion against top-ranked Lightweight contender, Justin Gaethje (watch highlights), at UFC 300 this past month (April 13, 2024). Holloway has since noted his desire for another crack at Featherweight gold next, going back-and-forth with the champion, Ilia Topuria. However, Barboza believes none are more deserving than he is for the next shot at the BMF label.
“If one guy deserves to fight for the BMF title, it’s me,” Barboza said at UFC Vegas 92 media day (h/t MMA Junkie). “Who has better highlight knockouts than me? Bro, imagine. I love Max Holloway, he’s one of my favorite fighters ever. I love to watch him fight, and he’s a very nice guy, very family guy, but imagine a fight against him for the BMF belt.
“It’s going to be very, very good for me and him and the company,” he continued. “Like I said, I have 30 fights in the UFC. I think I deserve that. Of course, my focus is 100 percent on the next one, but I think it’s going to be good.”
A longtime Lightweight contender, the closest Barboza has gotten to a UFC title shot came in 2017 when he rode a three-fight winning streak with wins over Beneil Dariush, Gilbert Melendez, and Anthony Pettis. At 38, “Junior” still has hopes of one last run at 145 pounds after potentially getting back on a three-fight winning streak with a win over Murphy.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 92 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 10 p.m. ET.
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