Edson Barboza looks better than ever in his latest social media post.
The UFC lightweight and featherweight contender appears to be a long way away from his fight weight after completing a remarkable body transformation.
In May, Barboza suffered a unanimous decision defeat against Lerone Murphy when they clashed in the main event of UFC Vegas 92.
Since then, the Brazilian has clearly been working very hard in the gym.
Edson Barboza debuts new ‘light-heavyweight’ physique
On Sunday, Barboza shared a shirtless selfie with his 486,000 Instagram followers before many of them took to the comment section to react to his apparent body transformation.
The 38-year-old branded himself ‘Mr. Olympia 2024’ in his caption before other people marveled at his physique and wondered what this meant for his fighting career.
One fan said: “I need bro’s gym routine ASAP.”
Another added: “Jose Aldo or Barboza are those guys that keep an absolute peak physic even in their late 30s.”
A third person asked: “Light heavyweight?”
Someone else raved: “He is god.”
Former UFC heavyweight contender Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva branded him a ‘monster’, while others suggested Barboza’s new look could get him mistaken for middleweight star Paulo Costa.
When will Edson Barboza return to the UFC Octagon?
Barboza hasn’t booked a fight since his loss against Murphy, and it’s currently unclear when he will return to the Octagon.
It does appear that his run at 145lbs is over. Barboza didn’t disclose his current weight in his viral body transformation post, but it’s certainly way above the featherweight limit.
Barboza went 4-4 in the UFC division reigned over by Ilia Topruia, who will defend his belt against former two-time champion Max Holloway at UFC 308 on October 26.
The fan favorite had much more success at lightweight where he picked up high-profile wins over Bobby Green, Anthony Pettis, Beniel Dariush, and Dan Hooker.
He’ll always be remembered for landing the first spinning wheel kick KO in UFC history when he cracked Terry Etim with one of the best shots of all time 12 years ago.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Barboza in the UFC.
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