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Rather than leaving the UFC, Edson Barboza will have his first fight at featherweight in May, against Josh Emmett.
It seems Edson Barboza’s plea to be released from his UFC contract fell to deaf ears.
A few days after Barboza’s unusual Twitter request to be let go, Combate reports that Barboza will, in fact, have his featherweight debut instead. It’s a move the Brazilian has already been talking about making before asking to be released. According to the report, Barboza will drop down to 145 lbs and take on heavy-handed Josh Emmett at UFC Oklahoma City, on May 2.
With only one win in his last five fights, Edson Barboza (20-8) will try to snap a two-fight skid, with defeats to both Paul Felder and Justin Gaethje. The 34-year-old’s last win happened in December 2018, when he TKO’d Dan Hooker, snapping another two-loss streak, having dropped fights to both Kevin Lee and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
On the other side, Josh Emmett (15-2) will look for his third straight win, after knocking out both Michael Johnson and Mirsad Bektic in his most recent outings. The 35-year-old’s latest defeat happened in February 2018, when he was knocked out by Jeremy Stephens.
UFC Fight Night 174 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Chris Weidman and top contender Jack Hermansson. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more fight announcements and updates as the event approaches.