Edson Barboza’s upcoming rematch with Paul Felder at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi won’t be his first time fighting in the United Arab Emirates this year.
Wait, what? Didn’t he only fight once this year, a main event clash with Justin Gaethje in... Philadelphia?
Allow him to explain.
It all started mid-June, when Barboza was chatting with his longtime coach Anderson Franca about who could be his next opponent in the UFC. Barboza looked at the official lightweight ranking and imagined that Felder would be the name the company would throw at him.