A longtime UFC veteran that scored one of the most incredible knockouts in the promotion’s history will be in action this weekend at UFC 319.
Headlined by the highly-anticipated middleweight title bout between Dricus du Plessis and undefeated challenger Khamzat Chimaev, UFC 319 is set to go down on Saturday night at the United Center in Chicago, IL.
The 14-fight card is stacked with everything from former title challengers to promotional debutants like Aaron Pico and the finals for The Ultimate Fighter Season 33, and during the night’s prelims Edson Barboza will make his return to the lightweight division to take on Drakkar Klose.
Barboza joined the UFC with a perfect 6-0 record in 2010, and he made an immediate statement in his promotional debut at UFC 123 when he stopped Mike Lullo with leg kicks early in the third round of their lightweight contest.
Edson Barboza (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Billy Quarantillo (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
The Brazilian improved to 9-0 and also earned back-to-back “Fight of the Night” bonuses with his victories over Ross Pearson and Anthony Njokuani, and for his fourth Octagon outing he found himself matched up with Terry Etim at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
READ MORE: Undefeated fighter wins UFC contract after earning rave review from Dana White
After nearly two and a half rounds of action, Barboza uncorked a picture-perfect wheel kick that left Etim stiff on the canvas and earned “Junior” a prominent place on every UFC knockout compilation for years to come.
One of the most spectacular knockouts in UFC History#OnThisDay in 2012: Edson Barboza landed THE spinning wheel kick on Terry Etim pic.twitter.com/mKzOGid7XZ
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) January 14, 2024
Barboza walked away from UFC 142 with a double bonus after competing in a third-straight “Fight of the Night” capped off by his “Knockout of the Night”-winning finish, but later that year he suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career when he was knocked out by Jamie Varner at UFC 146.
The 39-year-old experienced plenty of success and shared the Octagon with some of the lightweight division’s biggest names before dropping down to featherweight in 2020 for a matchup with Dan Ige, who spoiled the Brazilian’s debut at 145 lbs. when he got his hand raised via split decision.
Dan Ige (red gloves) and Edson Barboza (blue gloves) greet each other after their fight during UFC on ESPN at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
Barboza went 2-2 over his next four fights before earning two more post-fight bonuses for his wins over Sodiq Yusuff and Billy Quarantillo in 2023. That winning run came to an end last year when he met fellow UFC 319 fighter Lerone Murphy in a UFC Fight Night main event, although Barboza did earn his third-straight post-fight bonus for a bout that he lost via unanimous decision.
READ MORE: UFC Champion Kayla Harrison could face the winner of this massive fight
Now set to return to lightweight for the first time since 2019, Barboza will look to hand Klose a second-straight loss after the American was knocked out in the first round of a meeting with Joel Alvarez last December.
• Biggest question marks regarding UFC’s new deal with Paramount
• The night Michael Page ended a veteran’s career and caved his skull in
• Dana White drops major update on White House card after new UFC TV deal
• Charles Oliveira makes big statement on his fighting future
Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.