The UFC is in Atlantic City, New Jersey tonight (Sat. April 21, 2018) with a great mixed martial arts (MMA) card on tap for fans. In the main event of the evening, top-ranked lightweights Kevin Lee and Edson Barboza will collide inside the Octagon to determine who will continue to climb the ladder at 155 […]
The UFC is in Atlantic City, New Jersey tonight (Sat. April 21, 2018) with a great mixed martial arts (MMA) card on tap for fans.
In the main event of the evening, top-ranked lightweights Kevin Lee and Edson Barboza will collide inside the Octagon to determine who will continue to climb the ladder at 155 pounds.
The co-main event will feature a tremendous featherweight match-up between ex-UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and longtime veteran Cub Swanson.
There are plenty more great fights on the New Jersey card; and you can check out the full fight card, start time, and information on who to watch the action here below:
Main Card (FS1, 10 P.M. ET):
Catchweight (157 pounds): Kevin Lee vs. Edson Barboza
Featherweight: Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson
Heavyweight: Justin Willis vs. Chase Sherman
Middleweight: David Branch vs. Thiago Santos
Bantamweight: Aljamain Sterling vs. Brett Johns
Lightweight: Jim Miller vs. Dan Hooker
Preliminary Card (FS1, 8 P.M. ET):
Welterweight: Ryan LaFlare vs. Alex Garcia
Bantamweight: Merab Dvalishvili vs. Ricky Simon
Welterweight: Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Luan Chagas
Light heavyweight: Corey Anderson vs. Patrick Cummins
When UFC women’s bantamweight Aspen Ladd missed weight at yesterday’s early weigh-ins for her match-up with Leslie Smith at tonight’s UFC Atlantic City, the bout was scratched from the event when Smith declined to accept the fight. But as we found out in the hours after the fight’s cancellation, it had a lot more consequences than […]
When UFC women’s bantamweight Aspen Ladd missed weight at yesterday’s early weigh-ins for her match-up with Leslie Smith at tonight’s UFC Atlantic City, the bout was scratched from the event when Smith declined to accept the fight.
But as we found out in the hours after the fight’s cancellation, it had a lot more consequences than just that.
Smith admitted that she was tempted to take the fight while speaking to MMA Fighting, but that it would have been against the many values and principles she stands for as a leading voice of working towards improving fighter pay and treatment in the UFC. So while Ladd would have been forced to give her 20 percent of her purse, an amount that only added up to $2,400, Smith declined the fight after having signed an agreement with the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) that she would receive her show money of $31,000 whether she fought or not since she had weighed in at 135.4 pounds.
She felt that taking the fight would have been purely out of pride, just the situation she believes has gotten MMA fighters into the oppressive position they currently face:
“I considered fighting Aspen anyway, purely out of pride. And another chance to showcase my skills in the Octagon. But if I had done that, it would have been purely pride. And I would have been fighting for free since I was already getting paid the money. Fighting for free out of pride is everything that I have been speaking out against. It’s not everything — there’s more to it. The manipulation of the fighters through pride was something that I felt pretty strongly about. So I’m not fighting her, because I don’t feel like I should fight for free.”
Things took a turn from there, however, when Smith revealed she told the UFC, with whom she’s had a highly-documented standoff with over her labor rights work, that she would take the fight on the condition they extend her contract after her last fight was up versus Ladd.
Instead, they chose to pay Smith her show and win money for the fight and not extend her contract:
“I figured I had some leverage in the situation,” Smith said. “I told the UFC that I would be willing to take the fight as long as they extended my contract. They did not want to extend my contract. Instead, they said they would pay me my win bonus in addition to my show money and that would fulfill the fight on my contract and they would not be extending it.”
With her involvement in the growing labor issue as the president of Project Spearhead seeking to prove if fighters are indeed independent contractors or actual employees looming over her head, she stated she feels like she was paid off:
“It feels like the UFC is paying me off to go away,” Smith said.
UFC Atlantic City is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, April 21, 2018) from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s […]
UFC Atlantic City is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, April 21, 2018) from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey The main card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will be split broadcasted on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6:30 p.m. ET. Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee in a lightweight bout will headline this event while Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson in a featherweight bout will co-headline the show.
Rounding out the six bout main card is Chase Sherman vs. Justin Willis in a heavyweight bout, David Branch vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos in a middleweight bout, Brett Johns vs. Aljamain Sterling in a bantamweight bout, and Dan Hooker vs. Jim Miller in a lightweight bout.
According to oddsmakers, Lee is a -145 favorite over Barboza, who is a +125 underdog. Other odds for the main card include Swanson being a +190 underdog against Edgar, who is a -230 favorite. Here are the full betting odds:
Kevin Lee has released a statement following his failed weight cut ahead of UFC Atlantic City. Lee is scheduled to take on Edson Barboza tomorrow night (April 21) in the main event of UFC Atlantic City. Both men are coming off losses against two of the…
Kevin Lee has released a statement following his failed weight cut ahead of UFC Atlantic City. Lee is scheduled to take on Edson Barboza tomorrow night (April 21) in the main event of UFC Atlantic City. Both men are coming off losses against two of the best lightweights in the world. Lee and Barboza will […]
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 […]
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:
Mandatory Credit: Sean Pokorny-USA TODAY Sports
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
Due to an injury and a failed weight cut, UFC Atlantic City has two less fights. Earlier today (April 20) the UFC Atlantic City weigh-ins took place. Two fighters missed weight. Those competitors were headliner Kevin Lee and Aspen Ladd. Lee was one pou…
Due to an injury and a failed weight cut, UFC Atlantic City has two less fights. Earlier today (April 20) the UFC Atlantic City weigh-ins took place. Two fighters missed weight. Those competitors were headliner Kevin Lee and Aspen Ladd. Lee was one pound over, while Ladd was 1.8 pounds over. Edson Barboza agreed to […]
