Yes, he’s a born striker… But who says Edson Barboza doesn’t know his way around on the ground?
This Saturday, Edson, an unbeaten MMA fighter with ten wins, will be put to the test against Jamie Varner at UFC 146 in Las Vegas. A former WEC champion, Varner has some dangerous ground skills, having won 11 fights by way of submission. That will likely be the route the American fighter resorts to this time around.
Barboza is wise to this, though. In the USA, where he lives, the fighter has been training with the folks at The Armory, alongside ADCC 2009- and 2010 No-Gi World Championship-winner Pablo Popovitch.
“It’s an MMA fight, so I have to be ready for everything, whether it be striking, takedowns or Jiu-Jitsu. I have ten fights on my record, so I’m ready. It doesn’t matter if it plays out standing, on the ground or against the fencing. Inside that octagon, I’ll be fine with whatever happens. If he’s looking to take it to the ground, Pablo Popovitch helped me with my Jiu-Jitsu, and he’s one of the greatest champions there are in the style. I trained so much; I’ve never trained so much for a fight before, nor have I ever felt as good before a fight as I do now. I just have to get out there and do it,” Edson tells GRACIEMAG reporter Carlos Ozório in an article posted on the UFC website.
