Lee Survives Barboza Rally to Earn 5th Round Finish
(#6) Kevin Lee put his entire skill set on display in his TKO victory over Edson Barboza (#5). Lee came out early and utilized an impressive jab from the southpaw stance to stifle Barboza’s striking range and get the early takedown. The first 10 minutes saw Lee relentlessly smother and batter his Brazilian foe from top position. Barboza displayed his toughness and absorbed a ton of damage, surviving the first two rounds. At about the midway point of the fight, he struck with a spinning heel kick that landed to Lee’s head and had the Motown Phenom in serious danger. However, Lee displayed the ability to fight through adversity and was able to grapple with Barboza enough to regain his composure. While Barboza showed a great deal of heart, referee Keith Peterson called the doctor in to check on a cut and the fight was officially called a TKO victory for Lee.
With the win, Lee re-established himself as a top contender for the lightweight title but his call out of current champ Khabib Nurmagomedov will largely go unanswered. Lee will take Barboza’s #5 in the rankings, but the top of the division is still in massive flux. Khabib has unfinished business with Conor McGregor, (#4) Dustin Poirier and (#3) Eddie Alvarez need to settle their previous no contest bout, which leaves only (#2) Tony Ferguson who Lee has already lost to.
Edgar Bounces Back in Rematch with Swanson
(#3) Frankie Edgar showed that he is still near the top of the featherweight heap with his 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 unanimous decision win over (#4) Cub Swanson. The Answer was able to win the striking exchanges and utilized his patented level changes to keep Swanson out of rhythm. Cub was able to defend every single one of Edgar’s takedown attempts but simply spent too much of the fight playing defense. Both fighter’s will probably keep their rankings, but it’s Edgar who set himself up for the next title shot against the winner of (C) Max Holloway and (#1) Brian Ortega.
Branch Surprises Santos with First Round KO
(#8) Middleweight David Branch returned to form, knocking out (#12) Thiago Santos with a big right hand in the first round. Santos appeared to be getting the better of the striking, but a constant stream of forward pressure from Branch back Santos into the fence where the big right hand found its mark halfway through the first round. The majority of the top-10 is busy, but a showdown with (#7) Derek Brunson makes sense for Branch.
Sterling Shines Against Overmatched Johns
(#8) Bantamweight Aljamain Sterling won a one-sided 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 unanimous decision over (#14) Brett Johns. It became evident relatively early on that Sterling was the better fighter, but he wasn’t able to put away the outgunned Johns. Sterling improved to 14-3 with his second consecutive victory, but didn’t really help his case for any title shot in the near future. Instead, he called out former champion (#2) Dominick Cruz who hasn’t fought in 16 months.
Hooker Finishes Miller Quickly
Unranked lightweight Dan Hooker KOed former contender Jim Miller with a well timed knee to the face in the first round. Miller, who was once on track to get a crack at UFC gold, finds himself on a 4-fight losing streak with a lot of MMA mileage. Hooker, one of a handful of burgeoning New Zealand stars, fought long the whole time and landed some good right hands and kicks before ending the fight with the counter knee. During his post fight interview, Hooker hinted towards a ranked opponent next and called out the man conducting the interview (#14) Paul Felder. It would be awkward if Felder declined the invitation so expect to see that one soon.
Simon Gifted Bizarre TKO Over Dvalishvili
Ricky Simon improved to 13-1 in his Octagon debut by getting beaten for almost the entirety of the 3-rounds. In one of the strangest finishes ever, Merab Dvalishvili (7-4) found himself on the wrong end of a guillotine choke after clearly winning the whole way. In a weird scramble, Dvalishvili wound up in a guillotine choke and mounted as time expired in the 3rd and final round. Referee Liam Kerrigan didn’t stop the fight due to submission and Dvalishvili never stopped moving throughout the choke. However, after the final bell, Kerrigan decided Dvalishvili was unconscious and awarded the technical submission victory to Simon. The subsequent explanations from in house officials made little sense of the situation. By that same logic, fighters who wind up exhausted and can’t readily stand up after a fight should receive TKO losses. They don’t and they shouldn’t. If a fighter makes it to the final bell, it should go to decision. The referee messed this up, and Dvalishvili’s team is undoubtedly going to protest the decision. Unfortunately, the bizarre end takes away from a gutsy performance by Simon. The best thing for everyone is to just have these two fighters run it back…with a different referee.
Anderson Batters Cummins
(#10) Light Heavyweight Corey Anderson dominated (#11) Patrick Cummins for a 30-26, 30-26, 30-27 unanimous decision. Anderson showed that he is ready for another push up the ladder at 205-lbs, beating his opponent everywhere the fight went. He stuffed a takedown early and then beat up a very tough Cummins on the feet and took him down a ridiculous 14 times. Anderson should get another top-10 opponent and a showdown with (#8) Ovince Saint Preux would be fun.
NEXT UP: UFC 224 Nunes Vs. Pennington
