Lightweight star Edson Barboza’s next fight will come against Dan Hooker at UFC on FOX 31 in Milwaukee on December 15th.
Barboza has been a notable player in the lightweight division’s top 10 for some time now, but the 32-year-old Brazilian is coming off back-to-back losses against two high ranking opponents in Kevin Lee and Khabib Nurmagomedov since the end of last year.
Prior to that Barboza had been in fine form though, Claiming a trio of wins over former titleholder Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Beneil Dariush, who he knocked out with a flying knee back in March of last year.
Now Barboza goes up against the 28-year-old New Zealander Hooker, who have been making a destructive climb up the 155lb ranks over the last year or so, compiling four finishes inside the distance during that period.
it began with a KO victory over Ross Pearson, then submitted Marc Diakiese with a guillotine choke. Next up Jim Miller was KO’d in the first round back in April, while Gilbert Burns also suffered a first round knockout in July.
That’s enabled Hooker to break into the top 15 lightweight rankings and sets up an entertaining clash of dangerous strikers for UFC On FOX 31, which will be the promotion’s last ever event on FOX before they transition to their new television deal with ESPN next year.
