Barboza tells promoters to leave him alone after retiring from UFC at 39

Edson Barboza has issued an unambiguous warning to anyone hoping to lure him out of retirement: don’t bother. Days after announcing the end of his 17-year professional MMA career, the Brazilian veteran made his position plain — he is done competing.

Barboza retired following a fourth consecutive defeat, getting finished by Esteban Ribovics at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The 39-year-old removed his gloves inside the Octagon as the crowd rose to give him a standing ovation, chanting his name with his children watching from ringside for the first time.

“The entire arena spontaneously chanting ‘Barboza,’ with my kids by my side inside the Octagon — they had never been to one of my fights before,” Barboza said. “Definitely, that was the most emotional moment of my career.”

His message to the industry was equally direct. “Managers, event promoters, please leave me alone. Don’t offer me any fights,” he said.

Barboza was clear that age alone did not drive the decision. A severe left-eye injury sustained in his fight against Lerone Murphy proved to be the turning point. He acknowledged that he still believes he could beat many fighters, but accepted that performing at the very top level of the sport is no longer realistic.

Retirement will not mean a complete break from combat sports, however. Barboza, who has trained since childhood and worked with coaches from around the world throughout his career, said he intends to pass that accumulated knowledge on to the next generation.

“Over these 32 years, I’ve had the opportunity to train with dozens of coaches from all over the world, and they taught me so much,” he said. “Keeping all that knowledge to myself would be unfair, so I definitely want to pass it on.”

Barboza leaves the UFC as one of the most exciting strikers the promotion has seen, a fighter whose highlight-reel kicks and relentless pressure made him a fan favourite across more than a decade at the highest level of the sport.