Featherweights Edson Barboza and Steve Garcia are set to clash at the upcoming UFC Fight Night event scheduled on Feb. 22 with a location for the card still to be determined.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.
A 36-fight veteran with 14 years spent in the UFC, Barboza has a reputation as one of the nastiest strikers on the entire roster. When the Brazilian returns in early 2025, he’s looking to get back on a winning track after coming up short in a Fight of the Night against Lerone Murphy back in May.
That was actually Barboza’s third consecutive fight to earn him a bonus after he also picked up a Fight of the Night for his battle with Sodiq Yusuff as well as a Performance of the Night for his knockout over Billy Quarantillo.
Meanwhile, Garcia has been on a tear with wins in his past five fights in a row while finishing every single opponent by knockout. The Jackson-Winklejohn fighter has been tearing through his competition, which included a first-round finish over Kyle Nelson in a short-notice bout he took in September.
Garcia now looks to add a veteran like Barboza to his resume when the featherweights meet in February.
