Edson Barboza did not have anything nice to say about current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Barboza is expected to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 219 in the co-main event. The UFC prospect went on record by stating that he has finally matured as a fighter who is ready to fight for a UFC title.
During a recent interview with Combate, the UFC star noted that when he steps in the Octagon on December 30th to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, fans will watch the best version of himself to date.
“You can expect the best Edson Barboza that has ever stepped into the Octagon,” he said. “I’m training a lot. I know my time is now. I’m ready to be an UFC champion, you’ll see.
“I’m number three in the rankings and I see Tony Ferguson as the actual champion. 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.”
Barboza is on a three-fight winning streak, with wins over the likes of Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, and Beneil Dariush.
UFC 219 is set to take place on December 30, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card will air on pay-per-view while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass.
The event will be headlined by a women’s featherweight title fight between champion Cris Cyborg and former bantamweight champion, Holly Holm. Here is the updated card:
UFC Female Featherweight Championship
Cris Cyborg (c) vs. Holly Holm
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Edson Barboza
Bantamweight: Jimmie Rivera vs. John Lineker
Strawweight: Carla Esparza vs. Cynthia Calvillo
Welterweight: Carlos Condit vs. Neil Magny
Flyweight: Louis Smolka vs. Matheus Nicolau
Light Heavyweight: Michal Oleksijczyk vs. Khalil Rountree
Featherweight: Myles Jury vs. Rick Glenn
Lightweight: Dan Hooker vs. Marc Diakiese
Welterweight: Kamaru Usman vs. Emil Weber Meek
Middleweight: Marvin Vettori vs. Omari Akhmedov
Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Sabah Homasi