Edson Barboza says Kevin Lee was the physically strongest opponent he ever faced, describing being lifted off the mat and slammed despite believing Lee could not take him down. Barboza contrasted this with Khabib Nurmagomedov, whom he says won through technical wrestling rather than raw power, and admitted he went into the Khabib fight with just five weeks of training after major shoulder surgery. On his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje, Barboza explained that he broke the game plan by shifting left into Gaethje's overhand right near the fence — a mistake he attributes to not seeing the punch rather than being outpowered.
Edson Barboza has opened up on some of the most memorable moments of his career, offering candid breakdowns of his losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje while delivering a surprising verdict on who hit him the hardest.
Barboza, now 40 years old and carrying a 24-14 record across his long career at American Top Team, said Kevin Lee was the physically strongest opponent he ever faced. He described being physically lifted off the mat and slammed during their fight, admitting he never believed Lee had the raw power to take him down. He contrasted that experience sharply with Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguing the undefeated Russian — who retired 29-0 and averaged 5.32 takedowns per 15 minutes — won their bout through technical wrestling proficiency rather than brute strength.
Barboza also revealed he entered the Khabib fight severely underprepared, having completed only five weeks of training following major shoulder surgery. The admission adds significant context to a performance that many observers interpreted simply as a one-sided mismatch.
On his knockout loss to lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, the Brazilian offered a precise tactical explanation. He said he broke the agreed game plan late in the fight by drifting left toward the fence, walking directly into Gaethje's overhand right. Barboza emphasized that the knockout came from a failure of awareness rather than a power disadvantage — he simply did not see the punch coming. Gaethje, now 37 and holding a 28-5 record, leads all lightweights in significant strikes landed per minute at 6.48 and connects at a 58 percent accuracy rate, making lapses in positional discipline particularly costly against him.
Why it matters
- Barboza's account reframes the Khabib loss, shifting the narrative from dominance to circumstance given the post-surgery training camp
- His tactical breakdown of the Gaethje finish highlights how positional errors against high-volume punchers carry outsized consequences
- The Kevin Lee comparison raises an interesting discussion about physical strength versus technical wrestling at lightweight
