Way back in 2010 Edson Barboza made his UFC debut in Auburn Hills, MI, against Mike Lullo, stopping him via a TKO due to low kicks, in the third round. More than a decade on and he’s competed 24 times in the Octagon. But that chapter may be coming to an end.
Following his unanimous decision over Makwan Amirkhani back in October of last year, Barboza has reached the final fight of his UFC contract. With no sign of an extension coming from the promotion as of yet, the current ATT talent is now just looking to wrap up his current deal and see what the market has to offer him. Even if that’s simply a return to the Endeavor-owned company.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Barboza revealed that he’s been hitting the gym hard since December, letting the UFC know that he’s ready to go as soon as possible. But it seems, for now, that the world’s largest MMA organization is picking up the phone.
“Nope, nothing changed,” Barboza responded when asked if his contract situation with the UFC had been resolved. “I was just waiting. I called my manager end of December and said, ‘Hey, if the UFC wants to give me a fight, please, I’m ready, and I was training a lot December, January. I’m ready. If the UFC gives me an opportunity to fight real soon, to fight the last fight, I’m ready. If you’re going to renew my contract, let’s see what happens, or let me go. I have three options right now, but let’s see what happens. Like I said, I have one more fight, and I’m ready for this fight.”
Barboza added that, with February now underway, he’s hoping to get a fight for sometime in March. At the moment he’s “100% healthy” and is in fighting form, weight-wise. Hopefully, for the 35-year-old, he’ll get a chance to compete again soon—and from there figure out what the next stage of his combat sports career will look like.
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