Early career Barberena begin his professional mixed martial arts career in late 2009 with an amateur record of 1–0. Over the next five years he trained primarily at
the MMA Lab in Arizona and amassed a record of 9–2 for promotions such as Dakota Fighting Championships and
King of the Cage; all but one of his wins came before the final bell.
Ultimate Fighting Championship Barberena made his UFC debut in December 2014 when he faced
Joe Ellenberger on December 13, 2014, at
UFC on Fox 13. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. In his second fight for the promotion, Barberena faced
Chad Laprise at
UFC 186. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded
Fight of the Night honors. In his third fight for the promotion, Barberena filled in as a short notice replacement for
Andrew Holbrook against
Sage Northcutt at
UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader. With the late change, the matchup was contested at welterweight. Despite being a heavy underdog, Barberena won the bout via choke in the second round. In his fourth fight for the promotion, Barberena faced
Warlley Alves at
UFC 198. Once again a substantial underdog, Barberena won the fight by unanimous decision after withstanding the initial storm. Barberena next faced
Colby Covington on December 17, 2016, at
UFC on Fox 22. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Barberena next faced
Joe Proctor on April 23, 2017, at
UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Barberena faced
Leon Edwards on September 2, 2017, at
UFC Fight Night 115. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Barberena was expected to face
Jake Ellenberger on June 1, 2018, at
UFC Fight Night 131. However, on March 23, 2018, Barberena pulled out due to injury. The pairing was rescheduled and took place on August 25, 2018, at
UFC Fight Night 135. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. After having split his training at MMA Lab and Gym-O before Ellenberger fight, Barberena decided to move his camp entirely to Gym-O in
Gastonia, North Carolina in order to be closer to his residence near
Knoxville, Tennessee. After a back-and-forth two rounds, he lost the fight via TKO late in the third round. This fight earned him the
Fight of the Night award. Barberena faced
Randy Brown on June 22, 2019, at
UFC Fight Night 154. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round. Barberena faced Anthony Ivy on September 12, 2020, at
UFC Fight Night 177. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Barberena was expected to face
Daniel Rodriguez on November 14, 2020, at
UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos. However, Barberena underwent an emergency
laparotomy a week before the event due to "
internal bleeding from a couple ruptured arteries in his
omentum" and was sidelined indefinitely. Barberena faced
Jason Witt on July 31, 2021, at
UFC on ESPN 28. He lost the fight via majority decision. This fight earned him the
Fight of the Night award. Barberena was scheduled to face
Matt Brown on December 4, 2021, at
UFC on ESPN 31. However, Brown forced out of the bout due to testing positive for
COVID-19, and he was replaced by Darian Weeks. Barberena won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout against Brown was rescheduled and eventually took place on March 26, 2022, at
UFC on ESPN 33. Barberena won the back-and-forth bout via split decision. The fight was awarded the
Fight of the Night award. Barberena faced
Robbie Lawler on July 2, 2022, at
UFC 276. He won the back-and-forth bout by TKO in the second round. This fight earned him a
Fight of the Night award. Barberena faced
Rafael dos Anjos on December 3, 2022, at
UFC on ESPN 42. He lost via neck crank in the second round. Barbarena, as a replacement for
Daniel Rodriguez, faced
Gunnar Nelson on March 18, 2023, at
UFC 286. He lost the fight via an armbar submission in the first round. Barbarena faced
Makhmud Muradov on July 22, 2023, at
UFC Fight Night 224. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Barberena faced
Gerald Meerschaert on March 16, 2024, at
UFC Fight Night 239. He lost the bout by a rear-naked choke submission at the end of the second round. Barberena was released from the UFC on March 21, 2024. ==Personal life==