UFC Confirms Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee, Several Other Bouts for Atlantic City
UFC returns to Atlantic City, N.J. with an action-packed card, headlined by a thrilling lightweight contenders’ bout between Top 10 ranked Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee
A dangerous Muay Thai striker, Barboza (19-5, fighting out of Toms River, N.J. by way of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) aims to continue his ascent up the 155-pound rankings. Known for his spectacular knockouts, Barboza holds impressive victories over Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis and Beneil Dariush. His stunning spinning heel kick KO win against Terry Etim has remained a fixture in UFC highlight reels. Barboza now looks to return to the win column following a gutsy loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in December.
Standing in his way is Lee (16-4, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.), who is gunning for another opportunity at UFC gold. During his run, ‘The Motown Phenom’ has picked up sensational victories over Michael Chiesa, Francisco Trinaldo and Jake Matthews. As charismatic outside the Octagon as he is skilled inside it, Lee came close to capturing the interim lightweight championship last October. He now plans to use Barboza as a stepping stone back into the title mix.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BARBOZA vs. LEE will also feature a clash between talented wrestlers and light heavyweight contenders, as New Jersey resident and No.9-ranked Corey Anderson looks to blow the roof off Boardwalk Hall when he meets No.10 Patrick Cummins.
A NCAA Division III wrestler with heavy ground-and-pound, Anderson (10-4, fighting out of Robbinsville, N.J.) looks to kick off 2018 with a dominant victory. Over the course of his UFC stint, he’s delivered impressive wins against Sean O’Connell, Fabio Maldonado and Jan Błachowicz. Anderson now aims to get back on track and resume his run up the 205-pound rankings.
This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com
