"I hope he's ready for pain" - Edson Barboza issues warning to Giga Chikadze in new promo for their upcoming main event
Edson Barboza has sent a very clear and direct warning to Giga Chikadze as the two featherweights prepare to square off this Saturday night.
These two men are widely considered to be amongst the best strikers at 145 pounds and some would even say in the entire UFC as a whole.
Giga Chikadze is viewed as the exciting new kid on the block, whereas Edson Barboza always goes in there with the intention of creating violence and causing as much chaos as humanly possible.
Can Edson Barboza prove himself once again?
Now, with just three days left to go before they meet, Edson Barboza has sent a final warning to his Georgian foe.
“In Muay Thai and kickboxing I’ve fought many guys like him. When he steps into the octagon with me I hope he’s ready for pain. I’ve got more experience, I’ve got 24 fights in the UFC, I’ve got knockouts with low kicks, high kicks, body kicks, flying knees.
“Everybody knows that I hurt people.”
Edson Barboza is 100% right when he says that he hurts people, and it’s easy to go back and see examples of that from his time in the UFC.
We’re talking about a guy who has been able to strike fear into the hearts of many opponents, but at the weekend, he’ll know that Giga Chikadze is equally as prepared for war.
It’s incredibly unlikely that the victor of this bout is going to move on up and get a featherweight title shot straight away, but they’ll definitely take themselves to within one or two convincing wins of doing just that.
Chikadze, in some ways, doesn’t have quite as much pressure on his shoulders given how quickly he’s been able to rise up through the ranks, but Edson Barboza knows this could be one of his last opportunities to finally capture that belt.
He was brave in making the move down to an entirely new division in the pursuit of greatness and if he can make his way past Chikadze, the sky truly is the limit for what he could accomplish.