E. Barboza (left) faced P. Felder (right) in the UFC 242. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube MMACrazyTV.com
Light weight (up to 70,3kg.) Edson Barboza accepted the challenge posed by Paul felder to hold a third fight to break the tie and clarify once and for all the doubts about the winner of the last meeting between them in the UFC 242. The Friborg native stated that he agrees to face his rival again, who asked for a five-round fight. The statement was made in a recent interview with 'Combate'.
“To fight Paul, it doesn’t matter. Any day the UFC makes me fight him, I'll be ready. Next month, October, November, December, December at the latest. When it is, I'm ready. If you want to fight me next week, I'm ready to fight Paul again”, declared the fighter.
The meeting between the fighters, which represented the co-main fight of the UFC 242, in Abu Dhabi, ended up giving more to talk about than expected. On that occasion, the Brazilian, together with the North American, fought a true three-round battle, which was decided by the judges' decision. At the time of the official announcement, the judges awarded Felder the victory, however, with divided opinions.
After Paul raised his arm, the audience in the arena booed the decision and Barboza was visibly indignant at what had just happened. The setback was the second in a row for the Friburguenses, who were coming off a defeat to Justin gaethje in a duel that took place in March of this year.
“You can see between the second and third rounds, my coaches came to me and said, 'Junior, you won the first two rounds. In the third, there is no risk'. I have 22 fights in the UFC. I have a certain amount of experience. I fought against the best in the world. Of the top 10, I fought seven. I believe in my coaches a lot and that's exactly what I did. In the third round, I didn't take any risks. I took my foot off the gas, I just moved and stayed safe to finish the fight and be the winner”, said Edson.
Ultimate has not yet commented on the possibility of a third confrontation between the athletes. If scheduled by the end of the year, Barboza will play his third duel in 2019. The Brazilian has not played three times in the same season since 2015.
Whether it's Paul or another opponent, the Friborg native needs a victory to return to the category's elite. The setback for Gaethje meant that Edson lost fifth place in the rankings to his opponent. After being beaten by Felder, the Brazilian went down again and, today, is in ninth place.
Comments