E. Barboza is on a three-fight winning streak (Photo: Buda Mendes/UFC)
One of the main names in the lightweight category, Edson Barboza says he doesn't recognize Conor McGregor as the legitimate champion of his division. For the Brazilian, who achieved one of the most spectacular knockouts of his career against Beneil Dariush at UFC Fortaleza, the Irishman only had one fight in the weight class and, therefore, does not qualify as the title holder.
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“Conor has a fight and he is the champion. And he doesn't want to defend his title! For me, he is not a champion. The real champion will leave the interim belt dispute,” Barboza commented to the Revista Combate program, adding that he would like a rematch against Tony Ferguson, by the working title.
“If I were told to choose, I would fight Ferguson, as it would be a rematch. I accepted the fight with little training time, only four weeks left, but that's no excuse. I would love to have another fight against him with the entire camp, but if they offered me Khabib that would be great too,” he declared.
Despite the criticism, Edson Barboza was open to a possible confrontation with McGregor. And he already has the correct strategy, if the duel is one day: stand up against the Irishman, known for his weight on his left hand.
“The usual strategy: fight on your feet. If I had the chance to fight him, I would say: “Man, you don't even need to train takedown defense, because I'm not going to try to take you down.” I'm going to stand up and we're going to fight", guaranteed Edson, who in addition to beating Dariush, also beat Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis, both former world champions for Strikeforce and UFC, respectively.
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