Tag: Edson Barboza

UFC Fight Night 106 – more predictions

The Brazilian crowds are going to expect more than a few tough bouts at UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza. Apart from the main event featuring welterweight import Kelvin Gastelum and fomer UFC champion Vitor Belfort the light heavyweight bout between Gian Villante and Mauricio Rua and another in the lightweight in which Beneil Dariush […]

The Brazilian crowds are going to expect more than a few tough bouts at UFC Fight Night 106 in Fortaleza. Apart from the main event featuring welterweight import Kelvin Gastelum and fomer UFC champion Vitor Belfort the light heavyweight bout between Gian Villante and Mauricio Rua and another in the lightweight in which Beneil Dariush is pitted against Edson Barboza.

Gian Villante (15-7) vs. Mauricio Rua (24-10)

Rua enters the ring after back to back wins against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Corey Anderson. Rua made a great start to his career in combat sports but is now kind of had his enthusiasm mellowed down. His opponent, Villante too isn’t too much of a threat since he failed to gain any momentum and hasn’t been able to hit the top 10. Talent and skill isn’t his style. He has won most of his bouts through sheer toughness and courage. However, a seasoned fighter like Rua does have the upper hand in what could be a technical knockout.

Beneil Dariush (14-2) vs. Edson Barboza (18-4)

Fans of UFC must have noticed how Edson Barboza  gets so close yet so far from title contention especially in fights against Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson. Dariush should be a tough opponent since he is sure to bring out his grappling skills like he did against James Vick. Barboza is likely to do what he does best and that is keep circling and get in a few stunning leg kicks. If Dariush is mentally prepared for the initial onslaught from the Brazilian then he could make it a close fight. Nevertheless, we expect a unanimous decision in favor of Barboza.

UFC Fight Night Fortaleza: Weigh ins And The Fight We’re All Overlooking

The card will be held in Fortaleza Brazil and will headed by a 5 round middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Kelvin Gastelum. While Gastelum is notorious for missing weight at 170, he had no problem hitting the 185lb weight limit on the nose earlier today. Belfort also made weight at 186 lbs.

The post UFC Fight Night Fortaleza: Weigh ins And The Fight We’re All Overlooking appeared first on Cagepotato.

“Scale never lies”

As the weigh ins have just wrapped up, it appears UFC Fight Night Fortaleza is upon us.

The card will be held in Fortaleza Brazil and will headed by a 5 round middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Kelvin Gastelum. While Gastelum is notorious for missing weight at 170, he had no problem hitting the 185lb weight limit on the nose earlier today. Belfort also made weight at 186 lbs.

Gastelum is coming off of a 2 rd K.O. that sent Tim Kennedy into retirement and Vitor is coming off back to back losses. However, both fighters are looking for a W.

Probably the most overlooked match on the card is a 155lb bout between Edson Barboza and Beneil Dariush. Except for a 3″ reach advantage, both fighters are pretty much identical, but more importantly, both fighters can “bang.”Barboza is a stand up wizard who won knockout of the year in 2012 when put the lights out on Terry Etim before he ever hit the ground.

While Beneil is no slouch on the feet, you can bet he either wants to get this fight to the ground or up against the fence. In my opinion, Beneil is the more well rounded fighter. He needs to continue to pressure Barboza throughout the fight and not spend too much time in open space. Either way this will be a fine fight to watch and could put one of these fighters in the conversation with the best in the division.

Here’s a list of the upcoming fights:

Vitor Belfort (186) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (185)
Mauricio Rua (206) vs. Gian Villante (206)
Edson Barboza (155) vs. Beneil Dariush (156)
Jussier Formiga (126) vs. Ray Borg (126)
Bethe Correia (136) vs. Marion Reneau (135)
Alex Oliveira (171) vs. Tim Means (170)

Preliminary Card (FS1, 8 PM ET)

Francisco Trinaldo (156) vs. Kevin Lee (156)
Sergio Moraes (171) vs. Davi Ramos (170)
Rani Yahya (136) vs. Joe Soto (135)
Michel Prazeres (156) vs. Josh Burkman (156)

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 7 PM ET)

Rony Jason (146) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (146)
Garreth McLellan (184) vs. Paulo Henrique Costa (185)

Hit us up in the comments section below.

The post UFC Fight Night Fortaleza: Weigh ins And The Fight We’re All Overlooking appeared first on Cagepotato.

Edson Barboza Doesn’t Believe Conor McGregor is ‘True’ Lightweight Champion

Conor McGregor may be the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, but Edson Barboza doesn’t see it that way. Barboza is set to compete tomorrow night (March 11) inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. He’ll go head-to-head with Beneil Dariush. Barboza would like to keep his fifth spot on the […]

Conor McGregor may be the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title holder, but Edson Barboza doesn’t see it that way. Barboza is set to compete tomorrow night (March 11) inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. He’ll go head-to-head with Beneil Dariush. Barboza would like to keep his fifth spot on the […]

The Complete Guide to UFC Fight Night 106: Belfort vs. Gastelum

The UFC returns to Fortaleza, Brazil for the first time since 2013 with a fine card on Fox Sports 1 this Saturday, March 11. 
In the main event, 20-year veteran Vitor Belfort tries to right the ship and retain his position at the top of the divisi…

The UFC returns to Fortaleza, Brazil for the first time since 2013 with a fine card on Fox Sports 1 this Saturday, March 11. 

In the main event, 20-year veteran Vitor Belfort tries to right the ship and retain his position at the top of the division against the surging Kelvin Gastelum, the 25-year-old former welterweight and The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner who is testing the waters at 185 pounds following multiple incidents of missing the 170-pound limit. 

It’s a barn burner of a matchup that promises fireworks. With the future of the middleweight division up in the air, the bout has real implications for the title picture as well.

The rest of the card is about as good as a Fight Night event on FS1 can get these days. The co-main event features former light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua in a slobber-knocker of a fight with Gian Villante, but the best fight on the card may well be the 155-pound matchup between rising lightweights Edson Barboza and Beneil Dariush.

If that weren’t enough, the flyweight bout between prospect Ray Borg and veteran Jussier Formiga has Fight of the Night potential, as does the main-card opener featuring the rematch between Alex Oliveira and Tim Means.

Even the preliminary card features fights worthy of attention: Keep an eye on the lightweight fight between Francisco Trinaldo and Kevin Lee, along with the debuts of prospects Davi Ramos and Paulo Borrachinha. 

Let’s take a look at each individual matchup.

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Edson Barboza Says Fight With Beneil Dariush Will be a War

Edson Barboza is prepared for a tough battle against Beneil Dariush. Barboza battles Dariush this Saturday night (March 11) inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night Event. In a recent interview with MMAJunkie.com, Barboza said he isn’t expecting his bout with the No. 9 […]

Edson Barboza is prepared for a tough battle against Beneil Dariush. Barboza battles Dariush this Saturday night (March 11) inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night Event. In a recent interview with MMAJunkie.com, Barboza said he isn’t expecting his bout with the No. 9 […]

Beneil Dariush Says he no Longer Thinks About Title Shot as Much as he Used to

Don’t expect Beneil Dariush to have a title shot on his mind constantly. The ninth ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight will do battle with fifth ranked Edson Barboza on March 11. The two are going to be competing inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. The bout serves as the co-main […]

Don’t expect Beneil Dariush to have a title shot on his mind constantly. The ninth ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight will do battle with fifth ranked Edson Barboza on March 11. The two are going to be competing inside the Centro de Formacao Olimpica do Nordeste in Fortaleza, Brazil. The bout serves as the co-main […]