PHILADELPHIA – Some are speculating that Edson Barboza’s retirement from MMA might come this weekend. Barboza, who has been fighting professionally since 2009, will let those people speculate all they want, as that is not a thought that crosses his mind.
Barboza (24-14 MMA, 18-14 UFC) opens up the main card of UFC 330 (Paramount+), which takes place Saturday at Xfinity Mobile Arena, against fellow striker Esteban Ribovics (15-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC). When asked whether Saturday will be the end of his fighting career, Barboza didn’t confirm or deny and made it clear that his sole focus is on getting his hand raised at UFC 330 and nothing else.
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“It’s crazy because I don’t know what’s going to happen, you know, to be honest,” Barboza said at Wednesday’s UFC 330 media day. “Maybe one thing I know: I have something to do Saturday. That’s my focus 100 percent. I don’t think about retiring or fighting again. My focus will be 100 percent on the next fight. It’s crazy because my whole career, I’m fighting; I take one week off, and I start thinking about the next fight. On this one, I was like, ‘No, don’t care about the next one. Just focus on this 100 percent, and let’s see what happens when I finish.’
If retirement does come for the 40-year-old veteran, it’s mainly because he wants to focus on his kids. Physically, Barboza feels better than ever, and he’s still able to train at a high level at American Top Team in South Florida.
“It’s crazy because, like I said right here in the beginning, when you start to get older, you get smarter,” Barboza said. “You train smart. I don’t need to kill myself anymore. I don’t need, because I feel that, especially the young guys in the gym, sometimes need to prove it for themselves, ‘I’m a tough guy.’ You know, I don’t need to do this anymore.
“I feel better than ever, healthy. I have this full camp, no injury. I was 100 percent healthy. I don’t remember, to be honest, fighting and feeling like that back in the day. But you know, super hard for me – a lot with my family time, with my kids and my wife. But thank God I’m healthy.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 330: Edson Barboza focused on Esteban Ribovics, not retirement
