“One of the few opponents with whom I was afraid to fight was Edson Barbosa,” MMA News quotes the American. “The way he dealt with people was in my subconscious, and it definitely scared me”
Despite the feeling of fear, in March 2019, Justin Gaethje went to fight with Edson Barboza and knocked out the Brazilian in the middle of the first round, receiving another tournament bonus.
After the fight with Barboza, the American made two unsuccessful attempts to win the current UFC lightweight title, losing ahead of schedule to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira, and the Brazilian moved to the featherweight category, where he has been performing with varying success since 2020.
Justin Gaethje last fought two weeks ago at UFC 286 in London, defeating Rafael Fiziev by a majority vote, and Edson Barboza will split the octagon with Billy Quarantillo two weeks later at UFC on ESPN 44 in Kanas City.