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Edson Barboza Returns To Headline UFC Fight Night On May 18 Against Undefeated Rising Contender

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 3/26/24

Longtime UFC fan favorite Edson Barboza has his first assignment of 2024 in the calendar.

Despite approaching the age of 40, the Brazilian entered the new year on a two-fight winning run, having stalled the ambitions of Billy Quarantillo and Sodiq Yusuff. His most recent performance against "Super" saw Barboza mount a memorable comeback to have his hand raised after five rounds last October.

And off the back of that result, the 38-year-old is set to return to the Apex in Las Vegas for another UFC Fight Night main event. This time, on May 18, the #11-ranked Rio de Janeiro native will do battle with the undefeated Lerone Murphy.

News of the featherweight main event was first reported by Laerte Viana.

BREAKING MEWS!

O UFC está fechando Edson Barbosa x Lerone Murphy para o main event do UFC Vegas do dia 18 de maio. As duas partes aceitaram o confronto e o camp do brasileiro já foi iniciado.

Cinco rounds de porradaria das boas. Gostaram?
— Laerte Viana (@laertevianamma) March 25, 2024

Barboza To Defend Ranking Against Unbeaten Murphy

In his English counterpart, Barboza is tasked with blemishing the record of one of the featherweight division's most highly touted up-and-comers.

The #14-ranked Murphy (13-0-1) has won five straight inside the Octagon since a debut draw against Zubaira Tukhugov back in 2019. After missing the entirety of 2022, "The Miracle" returned last year with two wins, outpointing Gabriel Santos at UFC 286 in London and getting the better of Joshua Culibao in England's capital four months later.

Having only competed under the UFC banner in Abu Dhabi and his home nation to date, Murphy is now set for a taste of Vegas action, where he'll look to push toward the top 10 at the expense of Barboza (24-11)

Losses to Giga Chikadze and Bryce Mitchell left the Brazilian striker far from contention and left many pondering whether the writing was on the wall for his career on MMA's biggest stage. But with a brutal knockout of Quarantillo last April in Kansas City and a performance that netted him MMA News' Comeback of the Year award for 2023 against Yusuff, he's firmly dismissed such suggestions.

Barboza will have the chance to do so again on May 18 by becoming the first man to have their hand raised opposite Murphy, in both the UFC and MMA as a whole.

This article first appeared on MMA News and was syndicated with permission.

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