Edson Barboza’s UFC return set for February 22 against surging featherweight

UFC featherweight contender and longtime lightweight mainstay Edson Barboza will return to the Octagon on February 22nd against one of the fastest-rising stars at 145lbs.

As MMA Fighting‘s Damon Martin reported, Barboza will face Steve Garcia (17-5) on a UFC Fight Night card at a to-be-determined venue and location. As of this writing, the UFC has yet to formally announce the Barboza vs. Garcia matchup but is expected to do so in the coming days.

Barboza returns to the Octagon for the first time since a main event loss to Lerone Murphy by unanimous decision. Before the Murphy loss, Barboza won back-to-back fights, including a dominant win over Sodiq Yusuff in Oct. 2023.

Barboza, 38, is looking to make at least one final push towards the UFC title before hanging up the gloves. Despite being on the tail end of his career, Barboza has looked impressive in his recent fights, earning a knockout of Billy Quarantillo.

Barboza made the full-time transition to featherweight after a long tenure in the UFC lightweight division. He’s had an up-and-down run at featherweight with losses to Bryce Mitchell and Giga Chikadze.

Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia booked for February 22 UFC Fight Night

New fight alert:

Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia booked for the UFC Fight Night event on February 22.

That is a BANGER.

Story coming to @MMAFighting #UFC

— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) November 12, 2024

Barboza will face another impressive young contender in Garcia, who will look to make a statement in this upcoming fight. Garcia has earned five straight knockout wins, including most recently against Kyle Nelson in September.

Garcia has knocked out Chase Hooper, Seung-Woo Choi, and Melquizael Costa during his current run. A win over Barboza would likely propel Garcia into the featherweight Top 15.

As of this writing, a location and venue for the event have yet to be announced. A bantamweight clash between Ketlen Vieira and Macy Chiasson is the only other fight booked for the card.

It’s unlikely Barboza vs. Garcia will serve as the main event. Additional fights are expected to be booked in the coming weeks.