Barboza On Retiring After UFC 330 Loss

Edson Barboza retired from mixed martial arts Saturday night after Esteban Ribovics stopped him on the UFC 330 main card in Philadelphia.

The Brazilian lightweight placed his gloves in the center of the cage surrounded by family, then told Megan Olivi backstage that doubts surfaced during his fight with Lerone Murphy. "I don't feel the same," Barboza said, per MMA Mania. "Plus, I'm a very competitive guy. I hate to lose. I have a hard time when I lose."

Barboza Cites Age And Wear After 33 UFC Fights

Barboza said his body broke down despite a clean training camp. "I'm 40, with 33 battles in the UFC," he continued. "Thank God, I did good this camp. I was very healthy. But, yeah, my body isn't the same. I can't compete at a high level anymore."

The 40-year-old finishes with a 24-15 record and one of the deepest resumes in UFC history. Barboza fought Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, and Anthony Pettis across lightweight and featherweight. He landed the first spinning wheel-kick knockout in UFC history against Terry Etim and ties Dustin Poirier for the second-most Fight of the Night bonuses in promotion history, as BJPenn.com noted.

Barboza headlined five UFC cards during his 15-year run with the promotion. He leaves the sport after back-to-back stoppage losses at lightweight, the division where he built his reputation as one of the most violent strikers the cage has ever seen.

Original reporting:

• mmamania.com — Edson Barboza Explains Decision to Retire After UFC 330 | MMA Mania
• bjpenn.com — Edson Barboza explains decision to retire from mixed martial arts after UFC 330 | BJPenn.com