The 39-year-old Brazilian, who returns to the lightweight division this weekend in a clash with perennial tough out Drakkar Klose, has made a career of stepping into the Octagon with the toughest competition available to him in both the 155- and 145-pound weight classes. After making his promotional debut with a second-round TKO win over Mike Lullo in the late stages of 2010, here is the full list of how Barboza has spent the last 15 years of his professional career:
Anthony Njokuani, Ross Pearson, Terry Etim, Jamie Varner, Lucas Martins, Rafaello Oliveira, Danny Castillo, Donald Cerrone, Evan Dunham, Bobby Green, Michael Johnson, Paul Felder, Tony Ferguson, Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez, Beneil Dariush, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kevin Lee, Dan Hooker, Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder again, Dan Ige, Makwan Amirkhani, Shane Burgos, Giga Chikadze, Bryce Mitchell, Billy Quarantillo, Sodiq Yusuff, and Lerone Murphy.
Saturday’s Full Fight Card Preview
His third fight was against a promising TUF winner, fifth fight came against a former WEC champ, and then after beating a pair of fellow Brazilians, Barboza went on a 12-year, 23-fight run where he was fighting opponents with a number next to their names or gritty, seasoned vets living on the doorstep of the divisional rankings.