UFC Kansas City: Edson Barboza claims he trained fight-ending knee sequence for eight weeks in training camp

Last night’s UFC Fight Night event saw featherweight veteran Edson Barboza score his first win since May 2021 when he turned the lights out on Billy Quarantillo in the first round.

Barboza’s violent knockout of Quarantillo unsurprisingly earned him a $50k Performance of the Night bonus. It was the 11th time in his near-13-year UFC career that the Brazilian has claimed such an award.

UFC on BT Sport

@btsportufc

Edson Barboza hit that KNEE and that's all she wrote! 🦵

#UFCKansasCity

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Edson Barboza hit that KNEE and that's all she wrote! 🦵 💥

#UFCKansasCity https://t.co/kj7gnF0x3k

Fascinatingly, a video posted to YouTube by ESPN MMA after the event has seen Barboza claim that he trained the knee strike that ended the fight for eight weeks leading up to the bout.

After telling interviewer Heidi Androl that the win felt great, Barboza claimed his next fight would be even better.

He then stated that he fully expected Quarantillo to try to take him down, and so he’d trained the counter knee to combat that approach:

“Yeah, I trained this move for eight weeks... I know he’d throw the jab and change his level a little bit, I know his head’s gonna be exactly on that spot, and it worked very well.”

Catch the interview below:

The knee sequence closely resembled Barboza’s knockout of Beneil Dariush in 2017, which also won him a $50k bonus.

La Sueur

@LaSueur_off

Edson Barboza avait fait du SALE à Beneil Dariush ce jour-là

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Edson Barboza avait fait du SALE à Beneil Dariush ce jour-là 😱

https://t.co/if3wOpQrza

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What’s next for Edson Barboza following his win over Billy Quarantillo?

Edson Barboza’s win over Billy Quarantillo at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event was both his first victory and first finish since his May 2021 stoppage of Shane Burgos. Since then, Barboza had fallen to defeats at the hands of Giga Chikadze and Bryce Mitchell, leading many fans to question his future in the UFC.

Following his win over Quarantillo, though, it seems likely that Barboza will remain ranked in the top 15 in the featherweight division.

The Brazilian’s next opponent remains unknown right now, as he did not take the opportunity to call out anyone specific following his victory.

When asked about this by Androl, Barboza simply asked to fight anyone who is currently ranked above him:

“Anyone in front of me in the ranks, everybody knows I never say no to a fight... I fight anybody, anywhere. I’ve fought against the best guys in the world in the UFC... so somebody in front of me in the ranks, I’m ready.”

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

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