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After a rumored bout with Josh Emmett fell apart, former lightweight contender Edson Barboza will reportedly debut at featherweight against Dan Ige.
Former UFC lightweight contender Edson Barboza is still headed down a division in 2020.
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic breaking up any chance for his originally rumored 145 lb debut against Josh Emmett, on May 2, the 34-year-old will be looking to dive right back into the contenders pool at featherweight. Now scheduled for the UFC’s newly minted May 16th fight card in Jacksonville, Barboza will reportedly take on fast rising contender Dan Ige. Combate’s reported the matchup, though contracts are apparently yet to be signed.
With just one win in his last five outings, Edson Barboza (20-8) is on a two-fight losing streak—coming off a contentious split decision loss to Paul Felder back in September 2019. Before that, he suffered a quick knockout at the hands of Justin Gaethje. The 34-year-old’s last win came in November 2018, when he TKO’d former featherweight turned rising lightweight Dan Hooker. That win snapped a previous two-fight skid, with losses to both Kevin Lee and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
On the other side, Dan Ige (13-2) will look for his sixth straight win in the UFC. The Hawaiian is coming off victories over Mike Santiago, Jordan Griffin, Danny Henry, Kevin Aguilar and most recently, back in February, Mirsad Bektic. The 28-year-old’s sole UFC loss came in his Octagon debut, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Julio Arce.
UFC Fight Night 176 is expected to take place in Jacksonville, FL, on May 16. The card is scheduled to be headlined by a heavyweight bout between contenders Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more booking announcements as the UFC’s May schedule starts to crystallize.