Edson Barboza may look like a world beater, but he doesn’t enjoy hurting his opponents.
Barboza sits at the fifth position on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight rankings. He is riding a three-fight winning streak, beating the likes of Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez.
In his last bout, Barboza knocked Beneil Dariush out cold with a flying knee. Barboza told MMA Junkie Radio that it’s a sight that was tough to see:
“My last fight, I caught him with the knee and the referee stopped the fight. And I went to the middle of the cage, kneeled and said, ‘Thank God.’ The first (thing), it’s automatic: I asked God, ‘I hope he gets better,’ because I know he went there to work, too. He’s not my enemy. Especially, like (Dariush), he’s a very nice guy, too. That’s one of the things – it hurts me a little bit.”
With 11 knockout wins in his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career, Barboza has been known as a lethal striker. Despite the finishes, Barboza admits hurting people is a difficult task.
“As funny as it is to say that, it’s hard to see somebody get hurt. I really don’t like it. It’s crazy, but I don’t like seeing my opponents hurt.”
