Following his knockout victory over Shane Burgos at UFC 262, Edson Barboza wants to fight a top-ranked opponent at 145 pounds.
Barboza (22-9) stopped Burgos in the third round of their fight last weekend, giving him his second victory in a row. Last May, the Brazilian lost a controversial split decision to Dan Ige in his new weight division.
Barboza recently told MMA Fighting that his history in the sport and recent featherweight form has earned him a fight against a top-five opponent.
“I want to fight a top-5, man,” Barboza said. “I think I deserve to fight a top-5 given my history in the UFC. Something that motivates me to call for a top-5 opponent is knowing that it will be a great fight.
Barboza is intrigued by the prospect of fighting former champion, Max Holloway. Holloway bounced back after losing his title and rematch with Alex Volkanovski with a victory over Calvin Kattar in which he set a UFC record for the most important strikes landed.
“I love to fight the best,” Barboza said. “Can you imagine a fight between Max Holloway and I? I’m a huge fan of Holloway, I love his fights, he’s one of my favourite fighters. It would be awesome, man.”
“I honestly don’t know if he wants to stay active or wait for the belt,” Barboza said of Holloway, “but it would be a pleasure to fight him.”
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