UFC lightweight contender Edson Barboza is eyeing potential fights against fellow top contenders Tony Ferguson or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Barboza wants to become UFC lightweight champion, so he wants to fight whoever will get him closest to the championship.
However, the lightweight division is in limbo due to UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor’s absence from the UFC.
“When I talked to Sean Shelby and Dana, they said they also don’t know what is going to happen,” Barboza told MMAfighting. “They are waiting, too. There’s this possibility of fighting of the belt, the possibility of waiting, the possibility of fighting one more time. They don’t know. Nobody knows what’s going to happen in this division.
“Nobody knows the next steps for Khabib and Ferguson. I think I’m the only one stepping up to fight. We’ll see what happens.”
As of right now, Barboza is just waiting to get a fight. The Brazilian told the UFC he’d be willing and ready to fight whenever they need him.
“I told the UFC I’m ready if they really want to give me a fight for the belt, that I’m ready for any date they want. If they want, I’d fight tomorrow,” Barboza said.
“That’s why I’m here for, to fight for the belt,” he continued. “But it doesn’t even need to be for an interim belt. One of those two, I’d fight them now, for sure. If it’s for the interim belt, even better.”
