“We didn’t come from much” - Ellis Badr Barboza explains how his mom became his ‘biggest inspiration’ in life

Ellis Badr Barboza explained why his "biggest inspiration" is his mother.

In December 2023, Barboza started the next chapter of his fighting career by competing in ONE Championship for the first time. The U.K. striker has since established his presence in the strawweight Muay Thai division by securing wins against Thongpoon (third-round knockout) and Aliff Sor Dechapan (split decision).

While speaking to 'Fightlore Official,' Barboza opened up about his mother being the driving force to his success in combat sports:

"I would say my biggest inspiration for me is my mum. We didn’t come from much. She was very strong. She was working many jobs just to make ends meet and to put food on the table for us, making sure we were okay, and making sure we had somewhere to live. She was very resilient. So she taught me from a young age, the meaning of resilience and strength."

Ellis Badr Barboza's success in ONE Championship has proven he's a legitimate threat to the strawweight Muay Thai division. The 24-year-old now faces a life-changing opportunity in his first fight of the calendar year.

Watch the entire video of Barboza's collaboration with 'Fightlore Official' below:

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Ellis Badr Barboza looks to make mom proud by winning ONE gold

On February 7, Ellis Badr Barboza will challenge two-sport king Prajanchai for his ONE strawweight Muay Thai world champion. The action-packed matchup is scheduled for the ONE Fight Night 28 main event.

Barboza has looked phenomenal in his two fights under the ONE banner. Meanwhile, Prajanchai holds promotional records of 2-0 in kickboxing and 4-1 in Muay Thai, including recent wins against Jonathan Di Bella (kickboxing), Sam-A (Muay Thai), and Joseph Lasiri (Muay Thai).

ONE Fight Night 28 goes down inside the legendary combat sports venue of Lumpinee Boxing Stadium. Next Friday's event, including the main event between Barboza and Prajanchai, can be seen live and for free by North American and Canadian viewers with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription.

The February 7 fight card also features Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O (flyweight Muay Thai), Hiroyuki Tetsuka vs. Zhang Lipeng (catchweight MMA), Lito Adiwang vs. Keito Yamakita (strawweight), and more.