Edson Barboza believes he has finally matured as a fighter who is ready to fight for a UFC title. As he told Combate, Barboza claims that when he steps in the Octagon on December 30th to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, fans will watch the best version of himself to date.
The fighting future of lightweight star Conor McGregor is currently hiding in mystery. There is a chance, of course, that he’ll return to Octagon, where his career began, where fights with interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, lightweight contender Nate Diaz, welterweight star Tyron Woodley, and welterweight legend Georges St-Pierre could await.
Certainly, we all wondering what the future holds for Notorious, but Barboza who is facing Russian Nurmagomedov in a possible title eliminator at UFC 219 this December 30, thinks it doesn’t really matter to him if Mcgregor returns to MMA.
“I’m number three in the rankings and I see Tony Ferguson as the actual champion,” Barboza recently told Combate (h/t BloodyElbow). “I always make this very clear. It doesn’t matter whether or not Conor McGregor comes back. I don’t know if he is coming back or not and I don’t care. All I hope for is that whoever wins my fight with Khabib, becomes the next one to fight Ferguson for the belt.”
“You can expect the best Edson Barboza that has ever stepped into the Octagon [at UFC 219],” he said. “I’m training a lot. I know my time is now. I’m ready to be an UFC champion, you’ll see.”
Barboza is riding on a three-fight winning streak, with wins over Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush and Anthony Pettis.
Do you guys agree with Edson Barboza’s statement that Conor Mcgregor is no longer true UFC lightweight champ?
