Edson Barboza's road to title contention is a precarious one.
With consecutive wins over elite lightweights Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis, number 6-ranked Barboza is flirting with a shot at the belt. So when 12th-ranked Will Brooks voiced his desire to fight Barboza on Twitter, "Junior" was predictably reluctant.
"If the UFC says you have to fight this guy to get close to the title shot, why not? But like I said, I prefer to fight somebody above me in the rankings,” Barboza said according to MMAjunkie. “If I have a choice, I’d prefer to fight somebody ahead of me. There are five guys ahead of me, and I hope the UFC gives me these guys. If you see the rankings, it’s better for my career. I have to fight the best."
Even if a fight with Brooks does not materialize, Barboza's place in the title picture is blurry. He's publicly stated he won't fight training partner and current champion Eddie Alvarez and believes Tony Ferguson should get a shot at the belt over top-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov.
"In my opinion, the guy who deserves it the most is Tony Ferguson. He’s busy all the time fighting everybody. Khabib stayed out for a long time, and I think he has to fight a couple more guys to get the chance."
A fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov has fallen through several times and both are without a fight right now. As for the remaining contenders ranked above Barboza, former champ Rafael dos Anjos has yet to be booked since losing the belt to Alvarez, and both Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz are fighting at welterweight at UFC 202 against Rick Story and Conor McGregor, respectively. Unless the UFC gives him dos Anjos or grants Brooks his wish, it could be months until Barboza learns his fate.