| Edson Barboza | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edson Mendes Barboza Junior January 21, 1986 Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Other names | Junior Mendes Junior The Nova Friburgo Phenomenon[1] |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Reach | 75 in (190 cm) |
| Style | Kickboxing |
| Fighting out of | Jupiter, Florida, United States |
| Team | The Armory |
| Rank | Purple Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black belt in Muay Thai |
| Years active | 2009-present |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 25 |
| By knockout | 22 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 9 |
| Wins | 9 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Losses | 0 |
| By submission | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Edson Mendes Barboza Jr. (born January 21, 1986), better known as Edson Barboza,[2] is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 2009, Barboza is a former Ring of Combat Lightweight champion and is currently competing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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Barboza comes from Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro. His fighting style is Muay Thai. His professional Muay Thai record saw him compile 28 fights with 25 victories. 22 of those victories were by KO and 17 of them ended in the first round.[1] Barboza moved to the United States in January 2009 and joined "The Armory" in Florida.
Barboza's professional MMA career began in April 2009 in Tampa, Florida. Barboza went on to utilise his Muay Thai, defeating Aaron Steadman via TKO (punches) midway through the first round. Following this, Barboza faced Lee King twice in the Renaissance MMA promotion, which saw Barboza defeat him twice. The first occasion ended via KO in the second round and the second ended via submission.
Barboza then joined large New Jersey based promotion Ring of Combat. He made his promotional debut at Ring of Combat 28, facing Nabih Barakat. Barboza once again showed his effective striking by KOing his opponent after 69 seconds.
After another knockout victory outside Ring of Combat, Barboza competed for the Ring of Combat Lightweight title against Marcelo Guidici. Barboza utilised powerful leg kicks to claim a TKO victory due to the punishment delivered to Guidici's legs.[3]
Barboza's first title defense was scheduled to be at Ring of Combat 31 against Mikhail Malyutin,[4] but due to his signing with the UFC, his opponent Mikhail Malyutin instead faced Luiz Azeredo.[5]
Barboza was expected to make his promotional debut against Darren Elkins on November 20, 2010 at UFC 123.[6] However, Elkins was forced from the card with an injury and replaced by fellow newcomer Mike Lullo.[7]
The bout was fairly even in the opening round, though Lullo attempted to secure a gogoplata from bottom position. In the second, Barboza began to hit Lullo with multiple leg kicks; two of which dropped Lullo. In the beginning of the third round, Barboza defeated Lullo by TKO due to leg kicks.[8]
Barboza next faced Anthony Njokuani on March 19, 2011 at UFC 128.[9] He won the fight via unanimous decision ending the third round with a stunning spinning hook kick flush into the face of Anthony. As it didn't hit with the heel, instead with the sole of Edson's foot, Joe Rogan called it a "bitchslap with the foot". The back and forth war earned both fighters Fight of the Night bonuses.
Edson defeated The Ultimate Fighter Season 9 winner Ross Pearson at UFC: Rio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).[10]
Barboza is expected to face Terry Etim on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 9 matches | 9 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 0 |
| By decision | 2 | 0 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 9-0 | Ross Pearson | Decision (split) | UFC 134 | August 27, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Fight of the Night |
| Win | 8–0 | Anthony Njokuani | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 128 | March 19, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Win | 7–0 | Mike Lullo | TKO (leg kicks) | UFC 123 | November 20, 2010 | 3 | 0:26 | Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States | UFC debut |
| Win | 6–0 | Marcelo Guidici | TKO (leg kicks) | Ring of Combat 30 | June 11, 2010 | 1 | 3:01 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Won the Ring of Combat Lightweight title |
| Win | 5–0 | Jose Figueroa | KO (punch) | Renaissance MMA 16 | March 5, 2010 | 1 | 3:55 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Nabih Barakat | KO (punches) | Ring of Combat 28 | February 19, 2010 | 1 | 1:09 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Lee King | Submission (anaconda choke) | Renaissance MMA 15 | November 20, 2009 | 1 | 2:04 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Lee King | KO (punches) | Renaissance MMA 12 | June 13, 2009 | 2 | 1:14 | New Orleans, Louisiana, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Aaron Steadman | TKO (punches) | RFC 17: Street Kings | April 17, 2009 | 1 | 3:34 | Tampa, Florida, United States |