Edson Barboza Willing To Drop Down For Jose Aldo, Welcomes McGregor
Edson Barboza Willing To Drop Down For Jose Aldo, Welcomes McGregor
UFC lightweight contender Edson Barboza has become frustrated with the state of his division.
Edson Barboza is the latest UFC fighter to get frustrated with the state of his division.
The lightweight contender told ESPN he feels there is a lack of movement at 155-pounds and that has him thinking of fights outside his weight class. And if that were to be the case, he has the ideal opponent in former featherweight king Jose Aldo.
"What about a superfight against [former featherweight champion] Jose Aldo? Imagine that. Two Brazilian strikers. Why not? That's a fight that would get me excited. He's the best 145-pounder ever. If the UFC offered that, I would definitely sit down and think about it."
Although Barboza is a top-ranked competitor in the lightweight ranks, the action above him has fallen stale. With champion Conor McGregor off to the boxing world to face Floyd Mayweather, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov are locked in a chaotic shuffle for interim gold. The two were supposed to meet multiple times, with the most recent being UFC 209, but the Dagestan-born fighter was forced to withdraw with medical issues.
Those elements have brought traffic to a halt in the lightweight division and Barboza isn't happy about it. Furthermore, if the Irishman does return, Barboza wanted to make an enticing offer to pick him as an opponent rather than "T Ferg" or Nurmagomedov.
"Khabib and Ferguson want to fight each other, but is the fight soon? Can it happen before 2020? Go ahead, fight each other, and then I'm next in line. For me, this division doesn't have a real champion. Conor has fought one time in this division and then never defended his belt.
"If he comes back I do think we will fight. Conor doesn't like to fight wrestlers. I'm a striker. If I fight with him I'll say, 'Bro, don't even train wrestling. I will not try to take you down. This fight will happen on the feet.'"
The lightweight contender told ESPN he feels there is a lack of movement at 155-pounds and that has him thinking of fights outside his weight class. And if that were to be the case, he has the ideal opponent in former featherweight king Jose Aldo.
"What about a superfight against [former featherweight champion] Jose Aldo? Imagine that. Two Brazilian strikers. Why not? That's a fight that would get me excited. He's the best 145-pounder ever. If the UFC offered that, I would definitely sit down and think about it."
Although Barboza is a top-ranked competitor in the lightweight ranks, the action above him has fallen stale. With champion Conor McGregor off to the boxing world to face Floyd Mayweather, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov are locked in a chaotic shuffle for interim gold. The two were supposed to meet multiple times, with the most recent being UFC 209, but the Dagestan-born fighter was forced to withdraw with medical issues.
Those elements have brought traffic to a halt in the lightweight division and Barboza isn't happy about it. Furthermore, if the Irishman does return, Barboza wanted to make an enticing offer to pick him as an opponent rather than "T Ferg" or Nurmagomedov.
"Khabib and Ferguson want to fight each other, but is the fight soon? Can it happen before 2020? Go ahead, fight each other, and then I'm next in line. For me, this division doesn't have a real champion. Conor has fought one time in this division and then never defended his belt.
"If he comes back I do think we will fight. Conor doesn't like to fight wrestlers. I'm a striker. If I fight with him I'll say, 'Bro, don't even train wrestling. I will not try to take you down. This fight will happen on the feet.'"