After hosting an event in Arizona last weekend, the UFC will head back to the east coast tomorrow night (April 21, 2018), as UFC Fight Night 128 is set to take place live on Fox Sports 1 from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In the main event, No. 5-ranked lightweight contender Edson Barboza and will face off with No. 6 Kevin Lee in a five-round affair. The co-main event, meanwhile, will play host to a rematch between former 155-pound champion Frankie Edgar and longtime 145-pound contender Cub Swanson.
Also on the main card, heavyweights Justin Willis and Chase Sherman will do battle in a potentially under-the-radar slugfest.
Without further ado, let’s take a deeper look into UFC Fight Night 128’s marquee fights:
Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee
UFC Fight Night 128’s main event will play host to a pivotal bout between two of the world’s best lightweights, both of whom are coming off losses and in need of a victory.
Barboza, arguably the very best striker in the division, is coming off of a one-sided loss to current 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Prior to that, however, he had won three straight fights.
Stylistically, Barboza’s bread and butter has always been his striking. Utilizing a vicious Muay Thai approach, Barboza possesses some of the best kicks in the sport. Whether he’s kicking to the leg, throwing spinning kicks, or firing off switch kicks, the Brazilian kicks with incredible speed and power.
It is important to note, however, that he has improved his boxing and footwork quite a bit since making the move to New Jersey to train under Mark Henry. And it’s safe to say that he’ll have the advantage in this category over Lee.
In terms of grappling, Barboza has seemed to continuously improve his takedown defense in recent years and it’ll need to be on point in this bout. Lee may not be a wrestler the caliber of Nurmagomedov, but “The Eagle” repeatedly took Barboza down in their UFC 219 bout, paving a path to victory for fellow lightweights.
On the ground, Barboza rarely finds himself in positions to be submitted, as he’s only been submitted twice through 24 matches. He also owns a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If he ends up on his back though, he’ll need to smart defensively to avoid Lee’s ground-and-pound.
“The Motown Phenom”, meanwhile, is coming off of a loss to Tony Ferguson for the interim title last October. Prior to that, he had won five consecutive fights with four of those victories coming by way of stoppage.
Stylistically, Lee isn’t primarily known for his striking skillset, but he has improved his boxing in recent memory. Showing improved footwork and defense, Lee is also a phenomenal athlete and an explosive fighter. I’m not sure striking with Barboza would be his best option, though.
In terms of grappling, Lee is a high-level wrestler. In addition to his NCAA Division II wrestling background, Lee’s power, size and physical strength aid him in this category and I feel he’ll have a sizable wrestling advantage over Barboza.
“The Motown Phenom” also has eight submission wins to his credit, as he has a knack for taking an opponent’s back and finding a choke. Barboza is tough to submit, but Lee may have the advantage in this department as well.
Ultimately, I’d give Barboza the advantage in the striking department and Lee the advantage in the grappling department, which leads me to believe that whichever fighter implements his game plan best will come out on top.
It’s important to note that Lee actually missed weight for the fight, so it’s unclear if a difficult weight cut took place, but I’m going to side with him regardless. I feel as if he’ll be able to use his strength, power, and wrestling to ground and control Barboza. I’m not sure he’ll be able to submit the Brazilian, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him score a stoppage via strikes.
Prediction: Kevin Lee def. Edson Barboza via fourth-round TKO
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