Edson Barboza suggests that a fight between him and Hawaii’s Max Holloway would be an absolute war.
Last week at UFC 262, Barboza scored an incredible KO win over Shane Burgos. He finished his opponent in the third round with a terrific right hand, which took a while, but sent him to the canvas. He also won the ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus.
Edson Barboza seeks “incredible war” with Max Holloway
This is his second win at 145 pounds. Barboza decided to move down a weight class after his two-fight losing streak at 155 pounds. In his featherweight debut, he had a controversial split decision loss to Dan Ige. He then faced Makwan Amirkhani and took the fight by unanimous decision. Now, the Brazilian is asking to fight a top 5 ranked fighter.
“I want to fight a top five guy. I think I deserve to fight one of the top because of my history in UFC. One thing that motivates me to challenge someone in the top 5 is knowing it will be a great fight.” Barboza to MMA Fighting.
Barboza is currently ranked No. 9 at 145 pounds, and believes he is in a position to ask for a fighter ranked in the top five of the division. Currently in the top five are: Calvin Kattar, Chan Sung Jung (Korean Zombie), Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega and Max Holloway.
Ortega is next up to face the division champion, while Korean Zombie is already scheduled to face Dan Ige. The others do not have any fights planned at the moment, for Barboza facing Max Holloway would be a war.
“I love fighting the best, can you imagine a fight between me and Max Holloway, I’m a big fan of Holloway. I love his fights, he’s one of my favorite fighters. It would be awesome, man. I don’t know if he wants to stay active or wait for the belt, but it would be a pleasure to fight him.”
‘Blessed’ Holloway had his last octagon performance in January. With a masterful, dominant and unforgettable performance, he defeated Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Prior to that bout, Holloway, who at the time reigned at 145 pounds, had two bouts with Alexander Volkanovski. In the first clash, ‘Blessed’ lost the belt, in his fourth title defense, by unanimous decision. In the rematch, he was again defeated by Volkanovski in a controversial split decision.
“It would be a war, imagine five rounds of fighting. We would definitely break each other in there, like I did in my last fight and it would be awesome. I’d like it to be over quickly so I go back to my room and watch it. I’m sure it would be a war. He’s the best in this division. He’s not the champion, but he’s still the best in the division. I think he won the previous fight (against Volkanovski). The first one was close, they could have given it to Volkanovski. But I do think the second one he took.”
Edson Barboza admits to being more motivated in his new weight class, since in his fights at 155 pounds he just ‘did his job and that’s it’. Now in his new start at 145 pounds, he feels much better, not having to overexert himself in his camps to stay at weight.
“I think I’m more motivated than when I was at lightweight. Many years there, in some of those fights, I just fought, made my money and nothing else, you know? When I went down to featherweight I felt a great motivation, a new start. It’s easier, because I don’t have to kill myself during the camps. I train a lot and I’m skinny, I lose weight very easy, so I had to eat bacon every day, pasta every night to maintain my weight. Now I eat only healthy food.”
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Gamestingr for great videos, news, and gameplay!
