Issue 135
December 2015
Edson Barboza has moved his life from Brazil to Florida and now New Jersey to realize his UFC potential and ensure 2016 will be his year
Leading lightweight Edson Barboza has turned his life upside down to realize his athletic ambitions in 2016. The Brazilian sold his business and home in Florida in the summer to move his wife and new baby son 1,200 miles north to New Jersey – and now the Brazilian is desperate to show the world how it’s the final piece in his championship-winning jigsaw.
Edson Barboza
UFC Lightweight
Q. Why did you sell your gym and move to New Jersey?
A. It was a big decision to make for my family, but I have to be committed. I was not training 100% with my teammates Frankie (Edgar) and Marlon (Moraes), and my coach Ricardo Almeida, so I had to make the move. It was not fair on my baby son for me to be going back and forth from Florida all the time. I have to stay closer to the team and my family, and so spending 19 hours in my car wasn’t working for anybody.
Q. Was selling your business and leaving your home – again – a gamble?
A Yes, but I have to be focused on my career, not running a gym and driving my car for days and days. I need to be learning all the time, every day. I spoke to my coach, Mark Henry, and he agreed all the time spent in Florida wasn’t helping me. Sometimes I was training twice a day but there was nobody in my gym pushing me. But up in Jersey I am with Mark getting better with my boxing, wrestling with Frankie and doing jiu-jitsu with Ricardo, so I’m learning every day.
Q. How tough was the decision to move home?
A. It has been a big change and it is hard, I cannot lie. Plus, we absolutely loved our house in Florida. We loved the neighborhood, we loved the people there – our friends, who we miss. And especially we loved the weather. Wow, we are already missing that. But I have to be in Jersey. It is the best training in the world. I just wish the weather was a little better. We are already dreading the winter!
Q. Is this switch the key to you earning a UFC title shot?
A. I believe so. In my last fight I already felt different, I already felt better and more prepared because of all the time I was in Jersey. Now I am here full-time I can also see more progress and more victories. And I feel right now that I am really, really close to a title shot too. And, if I am honest, I am starting to feel much more like I am ready to be the UFC champion. Maybe I never felt that before, but right now I can feel it. It is coming, I am sure.
Q. Are you more motivated because your wife and son had to sacrifice their lives in Florida so you could follow your dreams?
A. Of course, but my wife understands why we had to move. She knows the best coaches and training partners are here. For my fight with Michael Johnson I stayed in Jersey for just four weeks, but for my last fight I was in Jersey for 11 weeks. That was a big difference, as I felt so much better and prepared. Now with my family here with me I know I now have a real chance to become UFC champion.
Q. How has your attitude to fighting changed since your son Noah was born?
A. It’s changed everything. It is the best thing in the world, and the best moment of my life. Every day when I get home and he’s at the door with my wife smiling, that is the best feeling in the world.
He depends on me. I have to win for him. In my last fight my coach said to me: “Remember your son, remember your wife, do it for them.” And that gives me my power. It is crazy really, but that little boy has completely changed my life. That is why I get up early in the morning and I work so hard in the gym. I know already that I can beat everybody in my division. I just need the chance and that belt will be mine. I will bring that belt home for him.
Q. How important was your last win over Paul Felder?
A. I trained so hard for this fight. I was really down and disappointed with my loss to Michael Johnson in February, so it was important to come back with a strong win. To beat a guy with a good reputation was an important moment. It was a great fight too.
Q. Did you feel the pressure facing an unbeaten guy?
A. No, I never feel pressure. I don’t allow pressure in my life. And fighting is my job: it is my life. I don’t feel pressure because in my mind I just have to go in there and do my job, that is it. Do the best that I can. And when I do my best then I will usually win the fight.
Q. Were you surprised by how tough Felder was?
A. Absolutely no. All the guys in the UFC are tough. We are talking about the best fighters in the world. And I’ve actually know about this guy for a long time, not just in the UFC. I watched him fighting in New Jersey and in Philadelphia. I also saw him training at Renzo’s too (Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, New York), so I knew how tough he was. That is why I trained so hard for this fight, I knew it would be a big war and a great fight and it certainly lived up to that. Those are the fights that you enjoy winning most, the ones that are loved by the fans.
Q. Do you prefer to be in the tougher fights?
A. No, I will say that I like easy fights best! But, of course, I train very hard in case I am in a great fight. And I do love it when guys are coming to knock me out. That really pushes me. I like that sense of fear, for sure. That is a real fight.
Q. Who would you like to fight next?
A. I just want to fight somebody in front of me (in the rankings). In my last two fights I’ve fought guys who were behind me. Both Johnson and Felder were below me, so I really want someone above me next. I am ready for this and I think I deserve this.
Q. How has your fighting style changed over the years?
A. People don’t really get to see my ground game or my wrestling too much, but I am much more of an all-round MMA fighter than I was before. My ground game has come on very strong and having that base means I can be much more confident with my striking. I know that if a guy takes me down I have jiu-jitsu and wrestling when I need it. That is the biggest change. I am a complete fighter. You have to know all areas to even compete in mixed martial arts now and that is why we all train so hard in everything. It’s all coming together and you will see. In 2016, it’s my time.
Q. Who do you think wins when Donald Cerrone fights Rafael dos Anjos for the UFC 155lb championship?
A.This is a great fight and I would especially like to fight Cerrone again – I like his fighting style. But I think Rafael wins this fight. He’s been looking great the last couple of fights and I hope the belt stays in Brazil too.
Q. Would you have a problem fighting Rafael?
A. Of course, no. He’s a professional like me, so there is no problem there. I really hope he holds onto the belt and I hope he knows that I am coming for him. That way the belt doesn’t leave Brazil when we fight either.
Spin doctor
Barboza’s spinning wheel kick KO of Terry Etim at UFC 142 in Rio de Janeiro picked up the World MMA Awards ‘Knockout of the Year’ for 2012. It was also named the third-greatest knockout in history by the UFC during its 20th Anniversary celebrations in 2013.
Jupiter ascending
Barboza first came alone to the US in 2008 to begin his MMA career out of The Armory in Jupiter, Florida. His wife joined him after a few months, which helped him settle and build a 6-0 record before he signed with the UFC in 2010.
Q. Have you been impressed with how Fabricio Werdum’s developed into a striker?
A. I am not shocked by how he has become the heavyweight champion because he comes from a really good school: Kings MMA. Rafael Cordeiro is a really good striking and MMA coach and the days of Fabricio being a jiu-jitsu fighter are long gone. He is a complete MMA fighter. He fights very hard and – especially against Velasquez – has proved he’s the best in the world.
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