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Edson Barboza is one of the most recognizable names in MMA. When you think about the UFC, Barboza is one of the first names that comes to mind. Despite being closer to 40 years old than 30, the Brazilian remains a top athlete and over the past year, he's shown he can still hang with the best.
At UFC 123 in 2010, Edson Barboza debuted. After over a decade in the promotion, he's become known for his vicious kicks. His debut win over Mike Lullo established that skill from the start.
Across 25 fights in the UFC, the 36-year-old has beaten the likes of Paul Felder, Anthony Pettis, Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker and Gilbert Melendez. Back-to-back defeats to Justin Gaethje and Felder saw Barboza make the move down to featherweight in 2020. A razor-thin split decision loss to Dan Ige made it clear he could compete at 145-pounds.
Against Makwan Amirkhani last October, Barboza secured his first win in the division, but it was his most recent performance that established him as a real contender.
UFC 262: Edson Barboza vs. Shane Burgos
Edson Barboza secured back-to-back wins at UFC 262 against Shane Burgos, and in doing so, provided us with one of the most bizarre knockouts in UFC history. After edging a competitive and entertaining fight through two rounds, Barboza landed a hard right hand in the final round.
Burgos' poker face was initially good and it appeared he had shaken off the strike. After a long delay, 'Hurricane' began to feel his body shutting down and he fell back into the side of the cage. Edson Barboza forced a stoppage with some hard shots to an unconscious Burgos.
So what's next for Edson Barboza? Having entered the featherweight top-10, it stands to reason he'll be looking for a big-name opponent next time out, but is that possible?
Here are three logical next opponents for Edson Barboza after his win at UFC 262.
#3 Calvin Kattar
Not many matchups for Edson Barboza will look as good on paper as his bout with Burgos did. A clash with Calvin Kattar certainly would...
'The Boston Finisher' entered 2021 off the back of wins over Dan Ige and Jeremy Stephens in 2020. His fight against Max Holloway at UFC on ABC was to have a different result.
Nevertheless, his defeat to Holloway proved many things, namely his toughness. Beaten and bloody from 445 strikes, the Methuen-born featherweight returned fire right up to the 25-minute mark.
Kattar's position as a top featherweight remains clear, and in his next fight he'll be looking to return to the kind of performances that brought him memorable wins over the likes of Ige and Stephens.
Given the fights booked around him, it's clear Kattar will be facing someone outside the top-five when he next enters the octagon. With Chan Sung Jung booked to fight Ige and Josh Emmett yet to return from injury, his options seem limited to Giga Chikadze and Edson Barboza.
A matchup between Kattar and Barboza would be quite the striking battle. It would give the Brazilian the opportunity to push for a place near the division's elite and for Kattar, it would present a chance to bounce back from defeat against a big name and a man in-form.
#2 Giga Chikadze
Imagine the battle of kicks this fight would bring us. For that reason alone, this matchup is one we have to see sooner or later in the featherweight division.
Giga Chikadze is one of the leading men in the UFC's Georgian invasion. Since debuting in 2019, 'Ninja' has built an unbeaten 6-0 record in the promotion. A brutal head kick against Jamey Simmons last November firmly established his name as one to watch at 145-pounds.
At UFC Vegas 25, Chikadze secured a similarly brutal finish. With the return of the famed 'Giga Kick', the Georgian finished Cub Swanson inside the opening round with a hard body-shot and made his case for a big-name opponent next time out.
With Giga Chikadze coming off a win over Cub Swanson a few weeks ago and Edson Barboza knocking out Shane Burgos at UFC 262 last weekend, there is no better time for these two to clash.
A battle between ninth-ranked Barboza and 10th-ranked Chikadze would determine which of the two jumps closer to the featherweight top-five.
#1 Max Holloway
I hadn't really thought about this matchup until today and now I realize how much I need to see it...
On Fight Island in January, we saw the resurrection of Max Holloway. After three defeats in his four fights prior, back-to-back losses to Alexander Volkanovski and being beltless for the first time since 2016, the stakes were high.
The term "delivered" does not do justice to what Holloway did. Not only did the Hawaiian deliver what was required, he delivered letters to every single MMA fan and fighter around the world. They read, “I’m the best boxer in the UFC…”
Holloway, 29, faced Calvin Kattar. It's rare that such a one-sided fight on the scorecards can be a classic, but Holloway’s technical masterclass, combined with Kattar’s persistence, made it just that.
It's clear Max Holloway is one of the best in the division and deserving of another title fight. But with current bookings, options are limited for the 29-year-old.
Volkanovski and Brian Ortega are coaches for the upcoming TUF season and will fight at its conclusion, Dan Ige and Chan Sung Jung are set to fight in June and he won't be rematching Kattar anytime soon.
Holloway showed he is open to fighting names ranked lower than him earlier this year, and if he is to get back in action soon, it stands to reason he'll have to do the same again.
Given Edson Barboza's name and his performance at UFC 262, not to mention stylistically, a fight with the Brazilian is the most logical for Holloway.
