Michael Johnson calls Edson Barboza's claim of speed advantage 'funniest thing ever'

Edson Barboza

Days out from squaring off in the octagon, Edson Barboza and Michael Johnson don’t see eye-to-eye when breaking down who is the faster fighter.

Barboza (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Johnson (15-8 MMA, 7-4 UFC) meet Sunday at UFC Fight Night 61, which takes place at Gigantinho Gymnasium in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. It serves as the co-main event of the FOX Sports 1-televised main card.

When speaking with MMAjunkie Radio, Barboza was asked if he feels he has the speed advantage and whether he’s confident he has the edge.

“I really think I’m faster,” Barboza said through an interpreter. “I work very hard at my speed, and I believe I’m way faster.”

Later in the show, Johnson, who’s ranked No. 12 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, was interviewed and broke into laughter after he was told about No. 13-ranked Barboza’s comments.

“That’s the funniest thing ever if he thinks he’s faster than me,” Johnson said. “His kicks might be a little faster, but his hands aren’t faster than mine. His movements aren’t faster than mine. His head movement isn’t faster than mine.

“It’s no comparison if you ask me. He’s going to be really surprised once we start exchanging punches and I start moving around on him and he can’t find me. He’s going to start second-guessing that comment he made.”

Johnson has finished three opponents with strikes in the UFC, and he’d like to add to that total on Sunday.

“If the knockout comes, that’s what I’m looking for,” Johnson said. “It’s what I look for first.”

Barboza has taken some heat from the MMA community via suggestions he has a bad chin after being stopped by Jamie Varner at UFC 146. Barboza doesn’t take kindly to the suggestion his chin is suspect heading into a bout against a striker like Johnson.

“That’s really a bunch of baloney,” Barboza said. “You know, I train with world-class boxers, and I never get knocked out. I have 30 muay Thai fights, and I only got knocked out once. People might think that, but it’s completely untrue and unfair.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 61, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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