Tag: UFC Fight Night 128

UFC Atlantic City Post-Fight Press Conference

This evening’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 is in the books from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the event delivered a hard-hitting mix of action for fans. In the main event, Kevin Lee dominated ultra-dangerous striker Edson Barboza with a peerless display of wrestling and ground control. surviving a huge […]

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This evening’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 is in the books from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the event delivered a hard-hitting mix of action for fans.

In the main event, Kevin Lee dominated ultra-dangerous striker Edson Barboza with a peerless display of wrestling and ground control. surviving a huge spinning wheel kick to smother the Brazilian contender en route to a fifth-round TKO

In the co-main, Frankie Edgar silenced his critics for the time being by making a rapid turnaround from his first-ever KO loss in March to outlast Cub Swanson for a telling comeback win.

Watch the UFC Atlantic City post-fight press conference streaming live after the main card right here:

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Kevin Lee Dominates Dangerous Edson Barboza In Brutal Stoppage

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. […]

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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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Frankie Edgar Returns With Clean Sweep Over Cub Swanson In New Jersey

In a fight that many felt was far too quick of a turnaround for ‘The Answer,’ Frankie Edgar met Cub Swanson in a high-stakes featherweight match in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The No. 3-ranked Edgar came into the […]

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In a fight that many felt was far too quick of a turnaround for ‘The Answer,’ Frankie Edgar met Cub Swanson in a high-stakes featherweight match in the co-main event of tonight’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The No. 3-ranked Edgar came into the bout having suffered his first-ever stoppage loss in his last bout when Brian Ortega knocked him out in the first round of their short-notice bout at March 3’s UFC 222. The fight raised questions about the 36-year-old Edgar’s ability to contend with the best, and while he did bring a 2-2 record in his last four fights into Atlantic City, his recent stats only painted part of the picture.

Edgar had still won seven of his past nine overall, and he also brought the advantage of a previous win over his foe. The No. 4-ranked Swanson had also suffered a stoppage loss to the surging title contender Ortega – albeit five months ago – and had won four of his past five fights. Adding to the intrigue, the two first met in 2014, with ‘The Answer’ winning a brutal, bloody submission over Swanson in the fifth round after dominating the longtime veteran.

Both respected but aging featherweights had questions to answer in this fight, making it an under-the-radar match-up with significant implications on the top of the 145-pound title picture.

It began with Edgar’s trademark movement. Swanson pumped the jab early as the crowd chanted Edgar’s name, and ‘The Answer’ landed a low kick and a straight punch. Edgar snapped some combos and a body kick before missing on a takedown. Another body kick landed, and Swanson jumped in to throw a shot but Edgar countered, following with a big right hand and another takedown attempt. Swanson defended but Edgar landed a left hook on the break, utilizing his footwork to land more punches and kicks. He slipped but went for an improvisational takedown, eating a shot before landing one of his own.

The final seconds of the round saw Swanson throw a spinning kick and a body kick.

In the second, Edgar measured his attack and stepped in, only to eat a good counter from Swanson. He pumped the jab and Edgar looked for a knee tap to land a strike. The pace was unrelenting from Edgar, with leg kicks landing. Swanson’s takedown defense stayed steadfast, and the crowd grew restless of his elusive movement. Edgar kept up the pressure as always and the two traded hooks. Egar snapped more punches and another low kick, and Swanson landed a strong low kick of his own. Swanson’s jab landed but he did little else in terms of offense throughout the second round until a big combination of hooks landed.

Just as Swanson was cut towards the end of the first, Edgar was cut at the end of the second round, and the two rivals headed into a fateful third frame.

Edgar looked for a takedown to start the final frame but again couldn’t secure it. A brief clinch ensued and Edgar landed more off the break. The action became a chess match a bit until Swanson pushed forward with a right, only to see Edgar fight back with a combination and leg kick. A solid right hook landed from “The Answer” and Swanson scored a solid body shot. Swanson missed a head kick and Edgar went for a takedown, persevering through Swanson’s tough defense in the clinch but ultimately unable to take it to the mat.

The fighters traded punches in the pocket after Edgar jumped right in, and Swanson scored a solid combo. Edgar answered, and the last minute of the fight saw a bloodied Edgar snap a couple quick strikes to close out a close, back-and-forth bout.

Final Result: Frankie Edgar def. Cub Swanson via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

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Women’s Bantamweight Contender Says UFC ‘Paid Her Off’ To Go Away

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 […]

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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.

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Kevin Lee Reacts To Missing Weight For UFC Atlantic City

Earlier today the MMA world was hit with the news that top lightweight Kevin Lee had missed weight during the early weigh-ins for his main event with Edson Barboza at this weekend’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Atlantic City. The miss, where ‘The Motown Phenom’ came in one pound over the non-title fight limit of […]

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Earlier today the MMA world was hit with the news that top lightweight Kevin Lee had missed weight during the early weigh-ins for his main event with Edson Barboza at this weekend’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Atlantic City.

The miss, where ‘The Motown Phenom’ came in one pound over the non-title fight limit of 156 pounds, was significant in that he had nearly missed weight for his interim title fight with Tony Ferguson at last year’s UFC 216, coming in extremely late and weighing following a weight cut that ‘damn near killed him’ while he was dealing with a staph infection.

But he wasn’t dealing with such an ailment this time around, so the inevitable questions of if he should move up to welterweight are swirling this afternoon. Lee issued a statement on Instagram to clarify that this was actually the first time he had ever missed weight, apologizing to the UFC, Dana White, and his opponent before saying he just ran out of time:

“For the first time ever in my athletic career since high school I’ve missed weight this morning. I just ran outta time. I apologize @Ufc @danawhite@edsonbarbozajr tomorrow Imma go put on a show”

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UFC Fight Night 128: Barboza vs. Lee Staff Predictions

We’re less than 24 hours away from fight night, and by now everyone should know what that means. It’s time for our latest installment of the MMANews.com Staff Predictions Roundtable for UFC Fight Night 128. In this edition, MMANews.com staf…

We’re less than 24 hours away from fight night, and by now everyone should know what that means. It’s time for our latest installment of the MMANews.com Staff Predictions Roundtable for UFC Fight Night 128. In this edition, MMANews.com staff writers Matt Boone, Fernando Quiles Jr. and Ian Carey will give their expert analysis and […]

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