Former Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks made a successful debut in the UFC earlier this month, defeating Ross Pearson at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. With that Octagon debut out of the way, he wants to make a splash in the top end of the division, and he made a call out on that front after Saturday’s UFC on Fox 20 event.
I want @EdsonBarbozaJR next in Portland… Fighting along side the homie @ColbyCovMMA in his home state @ufc
— Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) July 24, 2016
Barboza defeated Gilbert Melendez on Saturday night at UFC on Fox 20 in Chicago, his second straight win over a former champion. He’s won three of his last four, while Brooks has won nine straight. The UFC’s Portland event will air live on Fox Sports 1 on October 1, their first trip back to the city since 2009.
Penick’s Analysis: Brooks-Barboza would be a step back for one and a step up for the other, but it’s a good fight for the lightweight division. Brooks wants to establish himself as a contender and needs the opponents to face in order to move up that ladder. Barboza’s proven with his last two wins that he’s in that mix already. It’s still a fight the UFC could book, simply because Barboza has lost to some of the other contenders fairly recently, but it really depends on where they place Brooks in that field right now.
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If Barboza doesn’t want to fight for the title, then he CAN’T be given the opportunity to knock off a legit contender. Give him Chiesa until he understands how things work.