Edson Barboza once again showed his formidable skill by beating Billy Quarantillo at UFC Fight Night on Saturday. Barboza (23-11 MMA, 17-11 UFC), who is widely recognized as one of the most talented knockouts in UFC history, delivered a perfect counter-knee that resulted in Quarantillo (17-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) being knocked out in the featherweight main event at the T-Mobile Center.
Barboza’s win against Quarantillo came after he suffered back-to-back defeats to Bryce Mitchell and Giga Chikadze. Despite his experience, the 14-year MMA veteran should retain his 13th position in the UFC featherweight rankings after defeating Quarantillo.
Barboza demonstrated his continued prowess by executing an impressive right knee that sent Quarantillo crashing to the canvas. The 37-year-old fighter, who made his UFC debut in November 2010, reiterated his desire to face a higher-ranked opponent than himself, reinforcing his unwavering commitment to the sport.
Barboza said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier: “I trained exactly this movement for eight weeks. Please, someone ahead of me in the rankings. Guys, Edson Barboza is still here. I’m in the best shape of my life and I promise that the next performance will be even better.“
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Although Barboza’s most recent finish doesn’t measure up to his iconic spinning kick knockout of Terry Etim in 2012, it’s still impressive in its own right. Barboza is known for his impressive Muay Thai skills, possessing absolute strength in all four limbs.
Although the plan on how to defeat him is available, executing the plan is far from easy. Despite Quarantillo’s attempt to put pressure on Barboza and neutralize his attacking threat by pressing him against the fence, the task proved difficult. Quarantillo was unable to keep a safe distance and was taken by surprise by a thunderous knee that Barboza applied, causing Quarantillo to fall face-first to the mat, ending the fight.