Edson Barboza Retires After TKO Loss to Ribovics at UFC 330
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Edson Barboza retired in the Octagon after a second-round TKO loss to Esteban Ribovics at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, with referee Herb Dean waving off the fight after Ribovics rocked him with heavy strikes
- Ribovics, 10 years younger than the 40-year-old Barboza, dominated from the opening bell, leaving Barboza bleeding from the face, nearly swollen shut in one eye, and with a major gash on his knee by the end of Round 1 in what was likely a 10-8 round
- Barboza departed with a tearful post-fight interview, telling the crowd: "I just want to say thank you. I did my best in every single fight; I promise," after embracing his children seated front-row while walking to the cage
- Barboza's 2012 spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim — where he rotated with blinding speed and landed flush — is "arguably the greatest KO in MMA history," per the source
- Barboza finished his career with the second-most Fight of the Night bonuses in UFC history and the fourth-most knockdowns in any weight class
- Barboza tangled with elite lightweight names including former champions Khabib Nurmagomedov and Anthony Pettis, reigning champion Justin Gaethje, and former interim champion Tony Ferguson, before a multi-year relocation to featherweight
Why it matters: Barboza exits as one of the most spectacular strikers in UFC history — his spinning wheel kick over Etim remains a defining highlight — and his record-setting Fight of the Night bonus count (second all-time) cements his legacy as a perennial fan favorite even as the sport's younger generation like Ribovics physically overran him in his farewell.
Ask SkimNews
