Originally from Brazil and currently training at The Armory in Jupiter, Florida, Edson Barboza is a superbly talented prospect who possesses fantastic upside competing in the lightweight division. Incredibly gifted athletically, Barboza is a shredded lightweight whose natural talents have often be compared to featherweight stalwart Jose Aldo. His game is a combination of explosive striking and rapidly developing ground skills, and with continued work he has a chance to develop into a major player in the lightweight ranks.

Barboza is primarily known for his striking. He's a very experienced and accomplished muay thai striker in his home country, having captured countless awards and titles including two Brazilian Muay Thai Championships, three Rio de Janeiro State Championships, and a Copa Thai Boxing de Muay Thai Championship (Niteroi) to name just a few. It almost goes without saying but Barboza is extremely comfortable keeping the fight standing. He's a tremendously gifted athlete who shows dangerous skill and strong technical ability. A very exciting striker, Barboza's the kind of fighter that keeps fans on the edge of their seats due to his impressive ability to finish with one strike, at any point in the match. Quick, fast and powerful, Barboza's blessed with tremendous natural instinct and shows a very nice left hook and a dynamite right hand. He shows impressive kicking ability, proving capable of delivering quick, powerful round house and front switch kicks to the head and body, as well as the ability to unleash vicious leg kicks. Barboza is a dynamic striker who's shown the capacity to explode with flying knees and spinning back fists with impressive precision and speed. He also shows a strong clinch game and offensively he's a threat anytime the fight is kept standing. Defensively, Barboza does leave himself open at times due to his offensive nature and will need to refine his defensive guard and shore up some things technically. Having said that, Barboza possesses strong technical skills as well as explosive knockout power, and he has the talent necessary to develop into an elite lightweight striker with vicious, precise finishing ability.

Barboza's grappling game is the big question mark in his arsenal. He's a fighter who definitely prefers the standup, and the progression of his ground game will surely play a pivotal role in his future accomplishments in the sport. While his grappling game is green, Barboza's shown the potential to develop into a competent fighter on the mat. He regularly trains with quality BJJ black belts and strong wrestlers at The Armory, and was a Submission Wrestling Champion in his home country of Brazil (city of Sao Joao da Barra). Barboza possesses very good takedown defense, and works well at getting back to his feet if he's put on his back. He also works his ground and pound from the top, and overall he's shown continued competency over the course of his career. BJJ wise, Barboza's submission game is progressing, as his awareness and technical skills continue to come along smoothly. Barboza did catch and submit Lee King with a nice anaconda as he was shooting in for a takedown, and although his ground game will require attention, he's blessed with the youth, raw talent, and coaches to continue developing into at least a very competent grappler on the mat.