But after years of hearing opponents talk about how they want to test themselves in the standup game against him, Barboza knows better than to assume things will play out that way this weekend.
“All guys say, ‘I’m gonna fight on the feet against Edson,’ and everybody tries to take me down,” he said with a laugh when asked if he was happy to be paired off with another striker. “It’s an MMA fight — I’m always 100 percent looking at it as an MMA fight, and wherever this fight goes, I’m ready.”
Last time out in Kansas City, Barboza was returning for the first time in over a year, having been forced to withdraw from a fight for the first time in his career prior to stepping in with Quarantillo. When we spoke ahead of that contest, he was buzzing with the energy of a child on Christmas morning, eager to finally feel the UFC canvas under his feet again and desperate to hear the roar of the crowd as he made the walk to the cage.
WATCH: Khamzat Chimaev vs Li Jingliang | Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns
Things are different this time around — he’s no longer bouncing off the walls following the longest layoff of his career, and he’ll be walking out at the UFC APEX, not a packed house at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.
But while the situations are different, the anticipation and focus remain the same.
“I always say, ‘They change the place, but the Octagon is the same. It’s just me, my opponent, and the referee,’” Barboza said with a laugh in regard to shifting back to the UFC’s Las Vegas headquarters this weekend. “I know it’s gonna be a war — I’m ready for that — and it’s gonna be a good night, and hopefully, God blesses me with one more day, one more win.
“I really still love this job — I still love to fight; love every single second,” he added. “I’m happy, and when I’m happy, I’m very dangerous.”
