Edson Barboza picked up his first victory as a featherweight Saturday night.

Barboza defeated Makwan Amirkhani via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at Flash Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The Brazilian's hand was raised for the first time since December 2018, snapping a three-fight skid.

Both fighters were tentative in the first round, but Barboza - who's considered one of the UFC's best strikers - got the better of Amirkhani on his feet. The former lightweight contender turned it up a notch in the second round, dropping his opponent twice with lightning-fast punches. Barboza went to the ground with Amirkhani and hunted for submissions on both occasions, but his opponent escaped and ultimately recovered.

Amirkhani, who's best known for his grappling skills, finally took Barboza to the mat early in the third round after several unsuccessful attempts previously in the contest. Barboza was content to fight off his back in closed guard, limiting Amirkhani's offense. "Mr. Finland" was unable to land anything significant, and Barboza eventually returned to his feet to finish the rather one-sided bout.

Barboza entered this fight coming off a razor-thin loss to Dan Ige in May, his first trip down to 145 pounds. The 34-year-old hadn't picked up a victory since stopping Dan Hooker at UFC Milwaukee nearly two years ago.

Amirkhani is now 1-2 over his past three outings.