UFC
Edson Barboza says Donald Cerrone "had his lucky blow" at UFC on Fox 11, wants rematch
Apr 23, 2014 - 4:15:02 PM Edson Barboza says Donald Cerrone "had his lucky blow" at UFC on Fox 11, wants rematch

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Edson Barboza was doing quite well in the early going of his UFC on Fox 11 bout with Donald Cerrone, landing combinations at will and seemingly keeping Cerrone off his game.

Then, out of nowhere, he got cracked with a left hand that sent him to the ground. Cerrone quickly pounced, locked on a rear naked choke, and forced him to tap.

Barboza is now looking to get back in the cage, and would like another shot at Cerrone if the UFC is willing to give it to him.

"I just want to fight again as soon as possible," Barboza said in an interview with MMAJunkie.com. "If UFC gives me a rematch, I will be there. I want to keep fighting against those guys. I want to fight again soon because I know a have a lot more to show to my fans."

The Brazilian fighter gives Cerrone credit for catching him with that strike, but he feels it was a lucky blow and not a result Cerrone could repeat.

"It's hard to talk about that fight," Barboza said. "I knew I had everything to win that fight. I came hard to finish it. I wanted that win so bad. But God knows everything. I blinked at the exact time that he punched, so I didn't see the blow. If I had [seen] it, he wouldn't have dropped me."

"I had 99 percent of the fight in my hands, but it's MMA. You are wearing four-ounce gloves, so any detail can make the difference... He had his lucky blow, so good for him. Anyway, no matter the result, I'll prove that I am better than him without a lucky blow."

Penick's Analysis: To throw it out there right away, it wasn't a lucky blow. Cerrone turned the tide with a perfectly placed strike that caught Barboza off guard and knocked him down, but that doesn't mean he was just lucky to land the strike. That said, Barboza might get him in a rematch if that ever does happen. He was doing really well in his striking and had Cerrone beat up a bit throughout the round before that jab. Still, the strike landed, Barboza went down, and Cerrone's finishing instincts kicked in. While Barboza is competitive at this level of the sport, he's fallen short twice now to top WEC guys in Cerrone and Jamie Varner, and he's got to build himself back up now.