Edson Barboza believes that his main event fight with Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 35 will be a war.
It’s hard to think of a Barboza fight that didn’t end up being a war. You would think with 25 fights in the promotion, a change of weight class late in his career, and Barboza being 35-years old, the Brazilian would slow down. Instead, the UFC veteran is still just as violent as they come.
Barboza fights in his third main event this weekend. In his last two main events, Barboza came up short, so he is hoping to turn that around. He faces fellow world-class striker Chikadze in what should be a must-watch fight.
Barboza agrees with that assessment, and says the fight will be a war.
“When the UFC offered me this fight, I said ‘yes of course’ because I’m a fan. I love to watch good fights. I saw this fight on paper, and I knew it was going to be a great fight,” Barboza told reporters during UFC media day on Wednesday. “I know people are going to watch this fight, which motivated me a lot. That’s why I said yes to this fight because it’s going to be war.”
Both men are known for their stand-up. Chikadze said in his media day interview that he believes he is the better striker. However, it didn’t faze Barboza.
“Yeah, I really don’t worry about what he said. I really don’t care,” Barboza said. When asked if there is a chance Barboza shoots for a takedown, he had a simple answer.
“It’s an MMA fight. It’s not kickboxing; it’s not boxing, you know? I’m ready for wherever this fight goes.”
Watch the rest of Edson Barboza’s UFC Vegas 35 media day interview above. The event takes place this Saturday, August 28 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
