Hall of Famer in awe of UFC knockout artist's "bodybuilding" physique

This past weekend at UFC Fight Night: Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen, longtime veteran Edson Barboza picked up a highly impressive knockout victory over Billy Quarantillo.

FIRST ROUND KO FOR EDSON BARBOZA 🤯 #UFCKansasCity https://t.co/w3DpcsX1RZ

Barboza’s knockout, which came via a knee strike he’d apparently trained specifically for, was hard not to be wowed by. UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, though, was impressed with ‘Junior’ for another reason.

In the latest edition of his Believe You Me podcast, ‘The Count’ was quick to praise Barboza’s physique, comparing him to a bodybuilder:

“Edson Barboza, I couldn’t believe it...when he stepped into the octagon, the shape of the man! I mean, I even said it on commentary, it’s not a bodybuilding contest, and that’s a good job, otherwise Edson wins right now. I mean, that had to be one of the most ripped people we’ve ever seen in the octagon!”

Catch the full interview below:

Bisping then went on to state that Barboza had never been one to “dabble” in steroids, and was clearly just a “hard working dude.”

Interestingly, ‘The Count’ also explained why Barboza hadn’t fought since his loss to Bryce Mitchell in March 2022. According to Bisping, it was because the Brazilian had suffered a serious knee injury:

“He blew his knee out...he was just stretching at ATT one day then there’s *pop* this like almighty loud pop and everyone in the room heard it and yeah, he blew out his LCL and meniscus.”

Based on this weekend’s evidence, Barboza is back to his best – meaning the promotion will probably look to get him back into the octagon sooner rather than later.

What is Edson Barboza’s UFC record?

Edson Barboza is one of the longest-tenured fighters on the UFC roster, having joined the promotion back in late 2010. He made his debut that November, stopping Mike Lullo with a series of brutal leg kicks.

November 20, 2010 - UFC 123 - Mike Lullo

He makes his UFC debut and wins via TKO (Leg Kicks) in the 3rd

Puts the Lightweight division on notice https://t.co/iLroafrISP

In the years that have followed, ‘Junior’ has put together an octagon record of 17-11, competing as both a lightweight and a featherweight.

Some of his best-known knockouts include his spinning wheel kick of Terry Etim, his perfectly-timed knee strike knockout of Beneil Dariush, and his violent stoppage of Dan Hooker.

Barboza has also headlined three UFC events and fought the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje and Anthony Pettis in high-profile bouts.

His win over Billy Quarantillo last weekend was his first since his stoppage of Shane Burgos, which came back in May 2021.

Watch a compilation of Edson Barboza’s best finishes in the UFC below: