Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight warriors Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza went to war last night (March 30, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 2 inside Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Though last night’s main event carried with it some important divisional consequences and and effect on the professional careers of each man, that was not the reason to watch. No, it was the guaranteed promise of a legendary war that accompanies most every Gaethje fight that ensured all eyes were on the main event. Truthfully, the only way to avoid the war of attrition was an early, highlight-reel stoppage — exactly what Barboza aimed to achieve!
Immediately to start the fight, both men began slamming kicks into each other’s legs. Moments later, Gaethje stunned his opponent with a combination from inside the clinch, landing a big hook as Barboza looked to break away. A brief clinch along the fence stalled things out for a brief minute, but the two immediately went back to slugging moments later.
Gaethje kept the pressure on. Barboza slipped over and fired back power punches, but he could not do much to deter Gaethje’s forward movement. Even when a Barboza low kick saw Gaethje’s knee cave in, the wrestler continued to stalk forward and throw heavy punches. As the two collided in the clinch along the fence again, Barboza tried to push away and circle back to the center.
As he moved away, Barboza’s hands were low and his chin high. When Gaethje’s right hand collided with the jaw, it was extremely reminiscent of his last victory over Justin Vick. Barboza went down hard, bringing an immediate end to the contest.
Gaethje can talk about his love of going to war all day, but scoring first-round sleepers has to be just as satisfying? For the second time in a row, Gaethje has reeled in his sloppiness with his hands and focused more on cutting off the cage before unleashing the power punches.
The results have been immediate. He still created his usual chaos, but Gaethje absorbed far fewer head shots while out of position in this fight than usual. Barboza managed to slip and return a couple shots, but he’s an amazing striker and Gaethje was charging forward! Getting hit a few times will always be a reality for “The Highlight,” but if he can continue to attack relentlessly and smartly, Gaethje has a real chance at title contention.
As for Barboza, this is a pretty crushing defeat. The fight opened fairly well for the Brazilian as the two traded low kicks one-for-one. Even with Gaethje’s crushing kick power, that was a great trade for Barboza. However, Gaethje realized it too, latching onto the clinch and close range exchanges of power punches.
From that distance, Barboza didn’t really seem to have an answer. In the couple times he managed to recreate distance, Barboza needed to double down on the low kicks or throw a spinning back kick — anything to prevent Gaethje from just moving forward. Instead, Barboza tried to either run away or stand his ground with counters. The former gave Gaethje the opportunity to jump forward with huge shots, whereas the latter saw Gaethje gain the distance at the cost of being hit.
To Gaethje, that price doesn’t even register.
Last night, Justin Gaethje scored his second straight first-round knockout in another wild one. Who should Gaethje face next?