Kahuku’s Dan Ige has a rise in the rankings in sight if he can beat Edson Barboza on ESPN

MICHAEL WYKE / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mirsad Bektic, left, grabbed the leg of Dan Ige during the first round of a featherweight mixed martial arts bout at UFC 247 in February. Ige won the bout by split decision.

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If Dan Ige is looking for respect, a win tonight will certainly earn him that.

It took five consecutive wins for Ige to finally crack the rankings at 145 pounds. The Kahuku alum, who has lost only once in the UFC since making his debut in 2018, will fight 10-year veteran Edson Barboza, who makes his featherweight debut on the main card of UFC on ESPN tonight at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

“Edson has been in the top 10, top 5, for the past 10 years (at lightweight). He’s one of the best,” Ige said Thursday at a virtual media day. “He’s coming down to featherweight. He’s not currently ranked, but I think it puts me right there. Maybe not put me in the top 10 but gives me a top-10 opponent with a win over Edson for sure.”

Ige (13-2, 5-1 UFC) is ranked 15th at 145 pounds. Barboza (10-8, 14-8) is dropping down in weight after losing four of his last five fights, albeit to an impressive group of fighters.

Barboza’s losses during that span are to current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim 155-pound titleholder Justin Gaethje, along with Kevin Lee and Paul Felder, who are also in the top 10.

Barboza has earned nine performance bonuses in his 22 fights and his spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim is one of the best finishes in the history of the sport.

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“I have to be caught up in the moment. I can’t think about what he’s going to do,” Ige said. “Is he going to spin? Yeah, he’ll spin. Is he going to throw a leg kick? Yes, he’s going to throw a leg kick. He’s going to throw body kicks. I can’t be thinking about when those shots are going to come. I have to be there in the moment, react, play him, play my game, play at my range.”

Fighters and their cornermen are subjected to daily medical screenings and tests and every fighter will be provided with an individual workout room as the UFC deals with the coronavirus. Only essential personnel are allowed in the arena on fight night. There are no fans.

“From what I’ve heard, you can hear a pin drop in that arena,” Ige said. “I love that. I think it’s definitely an eerie feeling but I feed off (it) because I’m an eerie fighter. I’m just kind of excited to experience it.”

Ige’s fight should take place just after 4 p.m. Hawaii time on ESPN.