There’s been another last-minute change to the lineup at Hype Fighting: Brazil, as Edson Barboza has just stepped in to take on Sharaputdin Magomedov in a grappling match. The event goes down on March 11th, 2026 and Magomedov was originally slated to face Jorge Masvidal, but that match fell through with just a few days left. It’s obviously a but of a blow for matchmakers given the social media following and name-value that Masvidal brings with him, but they’ve managed to source another MMA star to replace him. Given that the event takes place in Rio de Janeiro, the fans in attendance will also likely enjoy getting to root for a local hero.
Barboza is one of the most exciting UFC fighters of his generation, but the majority of his popularity has come from his unpredictable and unorthodox striking style. He is tied for the most ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses and more than half of his wins have come by way of knockout. In fact, Barboza has only ever finished one fight by submission to date and that was back when he was fighting on the regional MMA circuit. It’s a bit of a surprise that he’s going to dip his toes in professional grappling, but his opponent Magomedov is also known as more of a striker than a grappler.
Like the previous matchup against Masvidal, this should allow Magomedov to open up a little more than the last time around. He drew with Arman Tsarukyan in the headline match at Hype Fighting: Armenia at the end of last year and spent the majority of that match defending against takedown attempts. This match should hopefully generate a bit more action the last, and it’s not the only grappling match this time around either. The Bryce Mitchell and Jean Silva rematch will be taking place at the event and in another last-minute change to the lineup, Tsarukyan will return against Muhammad Mokaev too.
Hype Fighting announced the news that Edson Barboza was stepping in to face Sharaputdin Magomedov in a recent post to their official Instagram account:
