It has been a rough few years for “Junior.”
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legend Edson Barboza suffered the final stoppage loss of his career this past weekend (Sat., Aug. 15, 2026), falling to Argentine prospect Esteban Ribovics to open the UFC 330 main card inside Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (watch highlights).
Following the loss, an emotional Barboza officially announced his retirement, placing his UFC gloves in the center of the Octagon with his family surrounding
him.
Throughout UFC 330 fight week, fans noticed that something looked visibly wrong with Barboza’s right eye. Now, the Brazilian has revealed that he has been dealing with serious vision problems since his fight against Lerone Murphy in May 2024.
“In my fight against Murphy in the main event, I had a very bad injury in my right eye, and I started to think about [retirement], like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I want to do this for a long, long time,’ because I can’t see in my right eye,” Barboza told Yahoo Sports.
“It’s crazy. I don’t see anymore in my right eye. I don’t see anything,” Barboza continued. “I had surgery twice, but I had a hard time going back to training because it’s super hard not to see with both eyes. I don’t see everything in black. I see a couple flashes of light.”
Despite having little to no vision in his right eye, Barboza returned to compete three more times against Drakkar Klose, Jalin Turner and Ribovics.
So, if Barboza could barely see out of his right eye, how was he medically cleared for three additional UFC fights?
Former Middleweight champion Michael Bisping famously fought the final 11 bouts of his career with only one working eye. However, “The Count” later admitted that he lied during medical examinations and even created a secret code with coach Jason Parillo to help him pass pre-fight vision tests.
According to Barboza, his situation was different because medical personnel knew about his damaged vision, and he signed paperwork accepting responsibility for the risks.
“The medicals let me fight,” Barboza said. “For the most part, I just said, ‘I want to fight.’ I signed and said, ‘If anything happens, it’s my fault.’ I love my eye doctor. He gave me big support.”
Fortunately, Barboza still has some hope that the vision in his right eye could eventually improve.
“He said maybe,” Barboza said. “It’s crazy because sometimes I feel a little better and I can see a little bit, but most days I don’t see anything. When I get out in the sun, I can’t see anything.”
Hopefully, Barboza’s vision eventually returns.
If it does not, Bisping might be the perfect person to call for advice—and perhaps a few one-eyed trolling tips.
