Pic! Barboza Shows Off Incredible Facial Transformation After UFC Vegas 81

Edson Barboza has experienced almost everything professional mixed martial arts (MMA) has to offer, but it’s still crazy to see the Brazilian fighter’s facial recovery from his recent clash with Sodiq Yusuff.

Barboza, who turns 38 this coming January, was in a tough spot entering his main event clash with Yusuff at UFC Fight Night 81 back on Oct. 14. He was coming off a win over Billy Quarantillo, but Barboza needed to prove more inside of the Octagon if he was going to hang around the featherweight top 15 heading into 2024.

Unfortunately, Barboza didn’t make things easy on himself. Like most of his recent trips to the Octagon, Barboza was absolutely shelled by Yusuff in the first round. The veteran fighter was rocked multiple times, nearly finished twice, and ended up relinquishing a 10-8 round in the process.

Surprisingly, Barboza survived the first five minutes of the fight and flipped the script from that point on. He was able to utilize his diverse striking, cage control, and endless gas tank to edge Yusuff out on the final scorecards and walk away with the unanimous decision win. It was a great effort and another example of just how tough of a fighter Barboza is.

This week, the UFC contender took to social media to showcase his transformation over the last few weeks. Remember, Barboza was badly hurt by Yusuff in their opening round and it’s pretty obvious that his face felt the pain as well. Check out Barboza’s incredible facial transformation above via Instagram.

Barboza, who is now 3-2 in his last five trips to the Octagon, should be ready for action soon. It’s unknown who UFC will throw his way next time out, but it should be a top 10 opponent considering his exceptional main event showing last month in Las Vegas.