UFC 219's Edson Barboza on the downside of being famous for a wheel kick

A wheel kick made UFC lightweight Edson Barboza famous around the world, but it’s not his favorite finish.

“In kickboxing, I have crazy knockouts,” Barboza (19-4 MMA, 13-4), who next faces Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) at UFC 219, told MMAjunkie Radio. “You guys have no idea. I have a lot of knockouts. I think some knockouts are more important than the wheel kick.”

For a while, it was easy to look up those knockouts on YouTube. Then Barboza found out the downside of putting your most impressive moments on the internet.

“When I moved to the U.S., I started fighting in MMA, and everybody watched,” he said. “I was 2-0 or 3-0, and nobody wants to fight me, because everybody went on YouTube.

“People would watch my videos, and everybody pulled out (of fights). I told my friend, ‘Please, take all my YouTube videos down.'”

Now, those highlights are safely kept at Barboza’s home in Brazil, even though the secret about his skills is no secret to anyone in MMA.

One finish sticks out to Barboza even more than the kick that made him a viral sensation and ESPY nominee. He can’t remember the competitor’s name – only the devastation his work produced.

“I remember that day as very important for me, because I came from my first professional loss in kickboxing,” he said. “I really knocked the guy out. He was almost dead. It’s very fresh in my mind.”

At UFC 219, which takes place Dec. 30 at T-Mobile Arena, Barboza will make his 18th appearance in the octagon in a pay-per-view bout against Nurmagomedov, whose undefeated record and grappling excellence make him the favorite to win. A recent history of withdrawing from high-profile fights also has many questioning whether he’ll show up, but Barboza isn’t worried. He’s too busy.

“I have things to do,” he said. “I think about my training and what I’m doing. Every single day, I have my family and my friends in Brazil. I just think about myself, go in the gym, train hard every single day.

“I really don’t worry about what he does or what he has to do, or his record. I don’t focus on that. My focus is on Edson Barboza full time.”

Barboza, the No. 6 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, will try to add No. 4 Nurmagomedov to a long list of victims felled by his fists, kicks and knees. It might be his biggest UFC win to date. If he can pull it off, he’ll make his case for the next logical step in his career.

“I’ve fought with seven guys in the top 15, and definitely, I think if I win this fight, I really deserve the title shot,” he said. “I don’t care if it’s (undisputed UFC lightweight champ) Conor (McGregor) or (interim champ Tony) Ferguson. But I definitely deserve the title shot.”

For more on UFC 219, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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