With both top lightweights coming off of big losses in huge spots, Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee met in a crucial lightweight bout in the main event of tonight’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
After some small rankings shifts at lightweight following previous No. 5 Dustin Poirier’s win over previous No. 6 Justin Gaethje in an all-out slugfest in the main event of last week’s UFC on FOX 29, the main event in Atlantic City brought the rare occurrence of the same rankings match-up in back-to-back weeks with No. 5 Barboza and No. 6 Lee.
Lethal striker Barboza was coming off of a brutally one-sided loss to current 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov last December, which snapped a three-fight win streak for the Brazilian Muay Thai wiz.
Lee, meanwhile, was coming off a submission loss to Tony Ferguson for the interim title at last October’s UFC 216, a fight which he was dominating in the early rounds before gassing as a perceived side effect of staph infection and a nearly missed weight cut. He actually missed weight for this fight, however, making it a 157-pound catchweight.
Both fighters needed to rebound strong to stay near the top of the crowded UFC lightweight title landscape.
The fight kicked off with Barboza throwing a kick as planned. A low kick scored and Barboza snapped some punches behind it. Lee pushed the pace on the feet, however, looking for a takedown and getting a trademark double-leg near the cage wall. Lee mounted Barboza and rained hammerfists, passing to side control and then the half guard. Lee stacked Barboza and scored a big shot, again moving to side control and then mounting him to land big shots. Lee began raining down monster elbows and punches that didn’t end, looking for a choke briefly before continuing to strike.
Lee was dominant, landing more hammerfists and then posturing up from Barboza’s guard to score more shots. He ground Barboza yet again and landed more elbows, closing out brutally one-sided frame by mounting Barboza another time.
The second frame began with Lee pressing the action. He landed a big shot and went for another takedown that Barboza avoided for the time being. Lee stalked him again and landed a straight right, throwing a brutal body kick that had Barboza in pain. Lee shot for the big double leg and got the big slam this time, again raining ground and pound from inside Barboza’s guard. A massive shot found its mark and more followed, and Lee passed to side control. Mount soon followed and more damage was the result, with Lee locking Barboza’s wrist and raining down huge elbows. and Barboza was unable to defend himself. The spent Barboza somehow survived the round.
The third frame started with Lee pushing forward, but Barboza landed a stiff kick. Lee responded with a high kick attempt, looking for another takedown attempt that was stuffed. Barboza landed a low kick and then turned the tables with his trademark spinning kick, badly wobbling “The Motown Phenom” to the point he appeared almost done.
Lee persevered, taking his opponent down to weather the storm. This time, Barboza returned to his feet, however, and went back to throwing huge kicks. Lee pressed the pace nonetheless, landing his jab. Barboza went for a flying knee and Lee landed a left hook and a right, scoring a stiff body kick behind them. Barboza landed one of his own shortly after it, and Lee ended the third round landing a high kick.
The fight went into the championship rounds with Lee snapping shots. Barboza scored a huge body kick and a head kick, and the fight turned into a slugfest. Lee went for the takedown, smartly enough, and began controlling Barboza against the fence. He landed further ground strikes, scoring with nothing too fight-altering but winning him the round by a long shot. Lee showed the level of his ground skill, mounting Barboza and unleashing endless torrents of strikes. The punches added up in bunches, and Lee closed the fourth round by seeking a choke submission.
The fifth round saw Barboza snap a looping hook. Lee pressed forward and Barboza threw another spinning kick. Lee landed and Barboza was bloodied. Still, the Brazilian scored two body kicks. Lee went for a takedown and Barboza defended well. On the break, it appeared that one man lost his mouthpiece, but it was deemed to be tape by the referee. During the stoppage, the cageside doctors looked at the badly bloodied and battered Barboza and called off the fight.
Final Result: Kevin Lee def. Edson Barboza via R5 TKO (doctor’s stoppage, 2:18)
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