Athletes
Edson Barboza | Looking For A War, Like Always
Brazilian Veteran Returns To Lightweight, Expects Fireworks In Fight With Drakkar Klose
Edson Barboza may have the strongest strength of schedule of any fighter in UFC history that was not a champion.
The 39-year-old Brazilian, who returns to the lightweight division this weekend in a clash with perennial tough out Drakkar Klose, has made a career of stepping into the Octagon with the toughest competition available to him in both the 155- and 145-pound weight classes. After making his promotional debut with a second-round TKO win over Mike Lullo in the late stages of 2010, here is the full list of how Barboza has spent the last 15 years of his professional career:
Anthony Njokuani, Ross Pearson, Terry Etim, Jamie Varner, Lucas Martins, Rafaello Oliveira, Danny Castillo, Donald Cerrone, Evan Dunham, Bobby Green, Michael Johnson, Paul Felder, Tony Ferguson, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, Beneil Dariush, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kevin Lee, Dan Hooker, Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder again, Dan Ige, Makwan Amirkhani, Shane Burgos, Giga Chikadze, Bryce Mitchell, Billy Quarantillo, Sodiq Yusuff, and Lerone Murphy.
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His third fight was against a promising TUF winner, fifth fight came against a former WEC champ, and then after beating a pair of fellow Brazilians, Barboza went on a 12-year, 23-fight run where he was fighting opponents with a number next to their names or gritty, seasoned vets living on the doorstep of the divisional rankings.
“It makes me very happy,” Barboza said when asked about his otherworldly list of opponents. “I never get shortcuts in the UFC, never get an easy way, and that proves to myself that I’m one of the best. Looking back, I’m very happy with everything and it makes me very, very excited for the future.”
One of 20 fighters to have made 30 or more appearances inside the Octagon, Barboza has been a staple in the Top 15 at featherweight for the last five years, but longtime followers of the sport will recall that he was a fixture in the rankings at lightweight as well right up until the time he decided to depart for the 145-pound weight class, which, at the time, came as a surprise.
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As the list of opponents above shows, the American Top Team representative shared the cage with some of the best in the division at the time, and when asked on Wednesday if he feels people might have forgotten about his exploits in his new, old division ahead of his return this weekend, the ever-sunny South Florida resident was quick to swat away the question.
“I don’t think people forgot that,” he said with a laugh, “and to be honest, I don’t care if people forgot. It’s a new challenge for me. I know I can go back to the Top 10, Top 15, and I’m ready for that.
Edson Barboza | Career Retrospective
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Edson Barboza | Career Retrospective
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“That’s making me motivated because I know I can do that; I know I can go back to Top 15, Top 10, Top 5 and I’m very happy,” continued Barboza, whose last lightweight fight came nearly six years ago against Felder in Abu Dhabi. “I feel like this is a new start. When I make 155 (in the UFC), that was a new start. When I make 145, that’s a new start. Right now, come back to ’55, that’s a new start and it motivates me to keep going.”
The veteran has always maintained that as long as he continues to enjoy going to the gym each day, he’s going to continue competing, and with his 2025 debut just a few days away, it’s clear that he’s still very much in love with the process and with testing himself against the best opposition available.
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Saturday night, that means sharing the Octagon with Klose, a fellow tenured talent who has lived on the outskirts of the rankings for the majority of his UFC career. The 37-year-old has won nine of his dozen fights with the promotion, but the setbacks have come at inopportune times, halting extended runs of success where another victory would have surely catapulted him to the next level.
Despite that, anyone that competes and pays close attention to the sport knows that the Michigan native and MMA Lab representative is a dangerous matchup for anyone in the lightweight division, which makes him precisely the kind of fighter Barboza was keen to see in his return to the 155-pound weight class.
“If you see my whole career, the UFC always puts me against the best guys in the world, and I feel so much pleasure to keep going,” began the Brazilian. “I’m very happy the UFC put me with a great fighter. He’s a dog, he always comes to fight. He’s not in the Top 15, but he’s definitely one of the best; the UFC always puts him on big shows.
“I trained super-hard, bro — more than ever for this fight,” added the all-action veteran. “I tried to do everything right to be ready for him.”
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One interesting wrinkle from Barboza’s career that might be surprising to some is that despite owning one of the most famous highlight reel knockout wins in UFC history — his spinning wheel kick finish of Terry Etim at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro — he’s only garnered a Performance of the Night bonus three times, while he’s been involved in 10 bouts that garnered Fight of the Night honors.
Heading into this one, he’s collected bonuses in three straight outings, following his Performance of the Night effort opposite Quarantillo by claiming Fight of the Night in his bouts with both Yusuff and Murphy.
“It’s funny because I never think about the bonus, especially Fight of the Night because every time you do Fight of the Night, it’s a war,” Barboza said with a laugh when asked about his recent string of post-fight awards. “I’m always prepared for war and that’s what happens most of the time.”
So does that mean he’ll be looking to pocket a Performance of the Night bonus this weekend?
Of course not.
“I’m looking for war, like always!”
UFC 319: Du Plessis vs Chimaev took place live from United Center in Chicago, Illinois on August 16, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!