Edson Barboza will return to combat sports three months after retiring from MMA, facing fellow UFC veteran Rashid Magomedov in a "battle match" at ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 in Rio de Janeiro. Battle match rules allow strikes with the hands, legs, elbows, knees and head both standing and on the ground, along with all submissions, but strikes above the collarbone are prohibited. Barboza retired in August after a second-round TKO loss to Esteban Ribovics, his fourth straight UFC defeat. The card also features Rousimar Palhares against Andre Galvao in a battle match main event, with Rodolfo Vieira meeting Kelvin Gastelum in a no-gi co-main.
Edson Barboza is set to return to competition just three months after retiring from MMA, as first reported by MMA Fighting. The Brazilian will meet fellow UFC veteran Rashid Magomedov in a "battle match" at ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 in Rio de Janeiro.
Battle match rules allow strikes with the hands, legs, elbows, knees and head, both standing and on the ground, along with all submissions. Strikes above the collarbone are prohibited, which removes head strikes from the equation entirely.
Barboza stepped away from MMA in August after a second-round TKO loss to Esteban Ribovics at UFC 330 on Aug. 15. It was his fourth straight UFC defeat. Ribovics, a 30-year-old Argentine, stands at 17-3 and has since added a first-round knockout of King Green at UFC 332 on Oct. 3. He lands 7.48 significant strikes per minute, the sort of volume Barboza faced in their meeting.
The headline attraction is a battle match between Rousimar Palhares and Andre Galvao. Galvao, 44, is 5-2 in MMA, and his numbers show a grappling-first profile: 2.02 takedowns and 2.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, against 2.34 significant strikes landed per minute. He stands five-foot-seven, or 170 cm.
The co-main event is a no-gi bout between Rodolfo Vieira and Kelvin Gastelum. Vieira, 37, is 12-5 in MMA and fights out of Fusion X-Cel Performance. He averages 2.77 takedowns and 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes, with 54 percent striking accuracy. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous-decision win over Robert Bryczek at a UFC Fight Night on Sept. 26, which followed back-to-back losses to Eric McConico and Bo Nickal.
Why it matters
- Barboza gets a quick, lower-risk return after a skid in which he lost four straight UFC fights.
- The no-head-strike rule changes how a striker like Barboza can operate, shifting emphasis toward leg kicks, body work and grappling exchanges.
- The card blends MMA veterans and elite grapplers, with two battle matches and a no-gi co-main on one bill.
