After battling with Paul Felder for three rounds at UFC 242 on Saturday, Edson Barboza promises to keep fighting outside the Octagon to make sure the split-decision loss is somehow overturned to a win.
Barboza’s manager Alex Davis told MMA Fighting on Sunday, hours after his defeat to “The Irish Dragon” in Abu Dhabi, that he has reached out to the UFC with the intention to appeal the result after two judges scored 30-27 scores in opposite directions, with a third judge scoring it 29-28 in Felder's favor.
The lightweight veteran has broken his silence on Tuesday, releasing a statement on social media and posting several videos where fans in Abu Dhabi say they believed he won the contest.
Check Barboza’s statement below.
Hey guys, first of all I want to thank you for all the messages, they absolutely comforted my heart. After this Saturday, everyone knows that I won that fight! I have watched it again and I was the winner without no doubt, but unfortunately they gave the result to my opponent. Nothing against my opponent, he went there and did his job, but everyone knows that I won that fight. I will keep [working] for justice to be done. I hope they give this victory to me in some way, or maybe through the UFC, if they pronounce about the fight saying that this fight was mine, or maybe through the Athletic Commission. I’ve been working for the UFC for so long, and what they did with me this Saturday was not right. I will keep fighting for something to be done. Once again thank you very much for the support, for the messages, I will give my best to change it.