Edson Barboza Doesn’t Believe Conor McGregor is ‘True’ Lightweight Champion

Conor McGregor may be the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, but Edson Barboza doesn’t see it that way.

Barboza is set to compete tomorrow night (March 11) inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. He’ll go head-to-head with Beneil Dariush. Barboza would like to keep his fifth spot on the UFC lightweight rankings intact, while Dariush is looking to move up from his ninth position.

The lightweight division is considered to be stacked, but uncertainty looms. McGregor is out until his baby is born. As a result, an interim lightweight title match-up was made between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov was forced out of the bout due to weight cutting issues.

During an interview with MMAFighting.com, Barboza said he’d like to have a rematch with Ferguson. This time, for the interim gold (via MMAMania.com):

“I feel that’s gonna be a perfect fight, you know? Me against Ferguson for the interim belt. I think that’s the fight that makes sense for me after this one. Most important, I get a full camp, cause I said yes for the fight with him (on) short notice, just four weeks (to) train. I was in Brazil, you know? Just a full-time camp, and I hope, not an illegal upkick, you know?”

Barboza feels if he gets past Dariush and if he were to fight Ferguson for the interim title, he’d consider the winner of that bout to be the real 155-pound champion.

“Yeah, I think so, because, man, I have more than ten fights in this division, more than fifteen. Ferguson have more than ten fights, Khabib have more than ten fights. Conor, I think, has just one fight in the division, and he’s the champ. That really don’t make sense for me. I really don’t care about Conor. I think he’s not a true champ. I think the champ’s gonna be me, or Khabib, or Ferguson.”

Related News

Top Stories

UFC Store

Dana White ‘Glad’ UFC Legend Dominick Cruz ‘Finally Hung It Up’ After Latest Injury Setback

UFC CEO Dana White is pleased to see Dominick Cruz step away from the...

Dricus Du Plessis Matchmakes For Defeated Opponent Sean Strickland After UFC 312: ‘I Just Thought Of That…’

Dricus Du Plessis has a suggestion for Sean Strickland’s next fight following his loss...

What’s Next After UFC 312? Current UFC 313 Card For Las Vegas On March 8

UFC 312 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed...

Demetrious Johnson Tells Sean Strickland To ‘Swallow His Ego’ & Change His Style After UFC 312

UFC legend Demetrious Johnson thinks it's time for Sean Strickland to change his ways...

Dricus Du Plessis: Khamzat Chimaev ‘Deserves A Hiding’ Before Alex Pereira Fight

Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time with a...

Dana White Reveals ‘Fascinating’ Revelation He Had While Watching Sean Strickland At UFC 312

Sean Strickland’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 was a decisive unanimous...

Dricus Du Plessis ‘Super Frustrated’ By UFC 312 Boos: ‘If It Was Towards Me, You Are Stupid’

UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis insists he's not to blame for how his...

UFC Analyst Rips Sean Strickland After UFC 312 Performance: ‘He’s Not Who He Says He Is’

Sean Strickland’s pre-fight promises of a brutal, all-out war with Dricus Du Plessis at...

Joe Rogan Reacts To Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 312 Win Over Sean Strickland: ‘He’s A Tough Puzzle’

While the UFC 312 main event itself didn't exactly deliver fireworks, color commentator Joe...