Edson Barboza thinks highly of the elite fighters at lightweight.
In his last outing, Barboza was no match for Khabib Nurmagomedov. While Barboza’s striking advantage going into the fight was clear, Nurmagomedov’s grappling was unlike anything the crafty 155-pounder had ever seen. “The Eagle” nabbed a unanimous decision victory.
Nurmagomedov would go on to capture Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight gold. He earned another lopsided unanimous decision victory to capture the title. His latest victim was Al Iaquinta in the main event of UFC 223.
Nurmagomedov may be the new 155-pound ruler, but the division is stacked. Even with Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson out of the picture, there are still threats such as former champion Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, and Kevin Lee. Barboza wants to show that he is still indeed a threat himself.
Speaking to Damon Martin, Barboza said Nurmagomedov’s dominance isn’t guaranteed to last:
“The level is so high, I believe Khabib could lose to anybody in the top 10 in the lightweight division. It’s so hard to say this guy’s the best or this guy is the worst. The guys in the top 10 of the UFC, their level is so high, so it’s all very close.”
Barboza will meet Lee this Saturday night (April 21). The action will take place inside the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This match-up has been given the top billing on the UFC Atlantic City card.
For Barboza, he’ll want to avoid sliding further down the UFC rankings. He sits at number five, while Lee holds the seventh spot. Barboza has yet to lose two fights in a row and the same can be said for Lee.
Don’t forget to stick with MMANews.com as we’ll be providing live coverage of UFC Atlantic City this weekend.
Does Edson Barboza have a point about any top 10 lightweight having a chance against Khabib Nurmagomedov?
