Edson Barboza doesn’t appear to be too concerned with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Conor McGregor. Barboza currently sits at the the fifth spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. He is riding a three-fight winning streak. He’s beaten Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush in his current span. McGregor isn’t expected […]
Edson Barboza doesn’t appear to be too concerned with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder Conor McGregor. Barboza currently sits at the the fifth spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. He is riding a three-fight winning streak. He’s beaten Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush in his current span. McGregor isn’t expected […]
Edson Barboza wants to step into the Octagon with Tony Ferguson again – but this time with an interim title on the line. Ferguson was originally slated to take on No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of the UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) last month, however, after a disastrous weight cut ‘The Eagle’ was
Edson Barboza wants to step into the Octagon with Tony Ferguson again – but this time with an interim title on the line.
Ferguson was originally slated to take on No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of the UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) last month, however, after a disastrous weight cut ‘The Eagle’ was hospitalized and forced off the card the day before the fight. ‘El Cucuy’ was left without a dancing partner and thus was removed from the card altogether, and lost his opportunity at becoming a UFC champion.
Weeks since the ordeal Ferguson has been working to challenge No. 8-ranked Nate Diaz to an Octagon showdown for the interim 155-pound strap, but the Stockton Native has shown no such interest in the fight. Ferguson took to Twitter to continue his campaign for an interim title bout this Summer, but instead of receiving an answer from Diaz, he was responded to by No. 5-ranked Edson Barboza:
Ferguson and Barboza have met inside the ultimate proving ground before, as they competed on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale (TUF 22 Finale) back in December of 2015. Ferguson won that contest by way of second round submission with his patented D’Arce choke.
Since the loss Barboza has embarked on a three-fight win streak over names such as former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush. Ferguson has since continued his winning ways and has racked up a record nine-fight win streak.
Could a rematch between the two world class 155-pound combatants be what’s next for the lightweight title picture?
Edson Barboza will fight any lightweight ranked ahead of him, but one bout stands out the most. Barboza is coming off a sensational flying knee knockout over Beneil Dariush two weeks ago. With the win, Barboza maintained his fifth spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight rankings. Speaking with Flo Combat, Barboza said […]
Edson Barboza will fight any lightweight ranked ahead of him, but one bout stands out the most. Barboza is coming off a sensational flying knee knockout over Beneil Dariush two weeks ago. With the win, Barboza maintained his fifth spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight rankings. Speaking with Flo Combat, Barboza said […]
Count head coach Mark Henry as someone who’d like to see Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson battle in a rematch. Back in Dec. 2015, Ferugson submitted Barboza in the second round. The bout earned both men “Fight of the Night” bonuses. During the fight, “El Cucuy” had a point taken away due to an illegal […]
Count head coach Mark Henry as someone who’d like to see Edson Barboza and Tony Ferguson battle in a rematch. Back in Dec. 2015, Ferugson submitted Barboza in the second round. The bout earned both men “Fight of the Night” bonuses. During the fight, “El Cucuy” had a point taken away due to an illegal […]
Florian believes that lightweight champion Conor McGregor and the rest of the cream of the 155-pound division stand little chance against Barboza. Barboza is, without a doubt, one of the most lethal strikers in the lightweight division. The Brazilian scored a brutal highlight reel knockout over Beneil Dariush at UFC Fight Night 106 to send a […]
Florian believes that lightweight champion Conor McGregor and the rest of the cream of the 155-pound division stand little chance against Barboza. Barboza is, without a doubt, one of the most lethal strikers in the lightweight division. The Brazilian scored a brutal highlight reel knockout over Beneil Dariush at UFC Fight Night 106 to send a […]
While it may not have inspired the hype of a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event (which have been failing majorly lately), last night’s (Sat., March 11, 2017) UFC Fight Night 106 from the Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil, delivered one of – if not the – best top-to-bottom mixed martial arts (MMA) events of the
While it may not have inspired the hype of a UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event (which have been failing majorly lately), last night’s (Sat., March 11, 2017) UFC Fight Night 106 from the Olympic Training Center in Fortaleza, Brazil, delivered one of – if not the – best top-to-bottom mixed martial arts (MMA) events of the year thus far.
The card featured a changing of the guard when a young, up-and-coming contender beat an aging legend, another legend showing he can still compete with the best, and the far and away best knockout of the year, among other highlights.
Overall the card delivered an action-packed night of bouts where several fighters made extremely strong cases for their prospects going forward. Let’s take a look back at the five biggest takeaways from the entertaining event.
Photo by Jason da Silva for USA TODAY Sports
5.) Alex Oliveira has a permanent home at 170 pounds:
Energetic Brazilian Oliveira had some questions to answer after his first bout against Tim Means was declared a no contest due to illegal knees, and he accomplished that goal in impressive fashion by finishing ‘The Dirty Bird’ with a flawless gameplan in his home country. ‘Cowboy’ was aggressive with effective wrestling from the opening bell, and it opened a path for Oliveira to use his slick submission skills to win the bout with a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the second round.
Like his American ‘Cowboy’ counterpart (whom he lost an exciting bout to last year), Oliveira has benefitted from fighting up a weight class after depleting his body to make the lightweight limit of 156 pounds. That’s a good thing, because he missed weight before his last lightweight bout and has a short leash in that regard. As of now, it appears to be a blessing in disguise, with Oliveira looking strong and dangerous at 170 as he improves with each passing contest. It’s going to be exciting to watch the ultra-active brawler attempt to rise up the ladder in arguably the toughest division in all of the UFC.
