UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Murphy Preview
Edson Barboza cracks Shane Burgos with a left hook. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC returns to their home-base, the Apex, with a fantastic Fight Night card. In the co-main event, two of the most exciting, unpredictable fighters in the Welterweight division collide when Khaos Williams takes on Carlston Harris. In the main event, a legend of the sport, Edson Barboza, takes on surging prospect Lerone Murphy. The card is stacked from top to bottom with excellent matchups that are sure to be fireworks. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
#9 Luana Pinheiro vs. #12 Angela Hill
Luana Pinheiro throws a right hand at Stephanie Frausto. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Women’s Strawweight
Luana Pinheiro: 11-2-0, 2 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Angela Hill: 16-13-0, 5 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Pinheiro has won four of her last five fights and has UFC victories over #13 ranked Strawweight Michelle Waterson-Gomez (18-12-0), Sam Hughes (8-6-0), and Randa Markos (11-12-1). She’s aggressive on the feet, looking to blitz into the pocket and land hooks. She throws every shot with power and rarely throws kicks, doing most of her damage on the inside with her hands. Pinheiro has a black belt in Judo and possesses excellent clinch takedowns and throws. Training at Nova Uniao, she’ll often control her opponent in the clinch before taking them down to land significant ground and pound or a submission. She’s averaging nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and has excellent top pressure. Pinheiro’s seven career finishes came in the first round, making her most dangerous early on.
Angela Hill lans a right hook on Claudia Gadelha. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Hill has won three of her last five outings and has UFC victories over #10 ranked Strawweight Loopy Godinez (12-4-0), Ariane Carnelosi (14-3-0), and Maryna Moroz (11-6-0). She is one of the most experienced and active veterans on the roster, and there’s nearly no spot in a fight she hasn’t been in. A former kickboxer with a professional record of 16-0, she’s an excellent technical striker with a gritty Muay Thai style. Hill pushes a heavy pace, landing, on average, 86 significant strikes in her last five fights. Training at Alliance MMA, she’s exceptionally durable, always willing to eat a shot to land one, and constantly pressuring forward. She’s willing to grapple, possessing solid wrestling both offensively and defensively. Hill has never been knocked out in her career and heats up as the fight continues.
Adrian Yanez vs. Vinicus Salvador
Adrian Yanez blasts Gustavo Lopez with a right hand. Credit: Essentially Sports.
Bantamweight Bout
Adrian Yanez: 16-4-0, 10 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.
Vinicus Salvador: 14-6-0, 13 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Yanez has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Davey Grant (15-7-0), Tony Kelley (8-3-0), and Randy Costa (7-4-0). He’s an excellent technical boxer who pushes a consistent pace and always pursues a knockout. He fights behind his jab, throwing everything with purpose and accuracy but never loading up. Yanez constantly presses forward, throwing from different angles and varying his attacks. Training at Metro Fight Club, he has not attempted a takedown in the UFC but has a black belt in BJJ and has defended 100% of takedowns attempted on him. He always throws in combination, typically doing most of his work with his hands, rarely throwing kicks. Yanez has been awarded five post-fight bonuses in just seven UFC appearances and is never in a boring fight.
Vinicius Salvador throws a left hand at CJ Vergara. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Salvador has won three of his last five outings and is looking to score his first UFC victory. He’s a very loose, fluid striker with an unorthodox style. He tends to keep his hands down before throwing power shots with knockout intentions. Salvador constantly blitzes forward with wide, looping hooks, doing a good job of mixing in body shots as well. He pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell, always coming out guns blazing. Training with the Ribas Family, he won't typically initiate grappling exchanges but has excellent clinch striking, particularly his knees. Salvador is always looking to start a brawl and loves to let his hands go in the pocket.
Themba Gorimbo vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
Themba Gorimbo throws a right hand at Takashi Sato. Credit: Yahoo Sports.
Welterweight Bout
Themba Gorimbo: 12-4-0, 2 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Ramiz Brahimaj: 10-4-0, 0 KO/TKO, 10 Sub.
Gorimbo has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Pete Rodriguez (5-2-0) and Takashi Sato (16-7-0). He’s a tenacious grappler constantly looking to get the fight to the mat and find a finish. He’s averaging over three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and is willing to work hard along the fence to secure them. He’s always working to improve and reach an advantageous spot, whether in the top or bottom position. Training at MMA Masters, his grappling sets up his striking, and he has solid power in his hands. He has heavy top pressure and is fantastic at finding his way to his opponent’s back. Gorimbo is most dangerous early on but will push a consistent pace throughout.
Ramiz Brahimaj submits Sasha Palatnikov with a rear naked choke. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Brahimaj has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Micheal Gillmore (6-5-0) and Sasha Palatnikov (8-5-0). He is an explosive grappler who wastes little time on his feet. He’ll typically shoot right away, often landing slam takedowns, averaging nearly two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes in the UFC. Brahimaj advances position at lightning speed and always looks for his opponent’s neck, with nine of his ten submissions coming via choke. Training at Fortis MMA, he greatly prefers submissions to ground and pound, landing either one or zero significant strikes in both UFC wins. He has excellent top pressure and always works for a finish on the mat. He’s at his most dangerous early on, with nine of his ten finishes coming in round one, and tends to fade as the fight continues.
Khaos Williams vs. Carlston Harris
Khaos Williams stuns Randy Brown with a straight right. Credit: DraftKings Network.
Welterweight Bout
Khaos Williams: 14-3-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Carlston Harris: 19-5-0, 5 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.
Williams has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Alex Morono (24-9-0), Matthew Semelsberger (11-7-0), and Rolando Bedoya (14-3-0). He’s a lengthy striker with brutal knockout power. He pushes a heavy pace, averaging nearly six significant strikes landed per minute, and will constantly blitz forward to unload combinations. Training at Murcielago MMA, Williams has not attempted a takedown in his promotional tenure but has defended 80% of the takedowns attempted on him. He throws everything in combination and with knockout intentions, constantly pressuring forward. He does most of his work with his punches, occasionally mixing in kicks when at range. William’s first two UFC fights both lasted 30 seconds or less, and he pushes a heavy pace throughout the fight.
Carlston Harris submits Jeremiah Wells with a anaconda choke. Credit: MMA Mania.
Harris has won all four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Impa Kasanganay (16-4-0), Jeremiah Wells (12-4-1), and Jared Gooden (23-9-0). He has serious power in his hands, utilizing an efficient kickboxing style with devastating kicks to match his punches. Along with his power, he’s exceptionally fast, both in his footwork and strikes, and always pursues a finish. Harris has a slick submission game to back up his striking and solid takedown defense. Training at Renovocao Fight Team, he loves anaconda and d’arce chokes, regularly sprawling on a takedown and locking in either choke. He can find a finish anywhere, often securing submissions via defensive grappling, rarely shooting for takedowns. Harris has only gone to decision twice in his last ten fights and fights with a “kill or be killed” attitude.
#12 Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy
Edson Barboza blasts Sodiq Yusuff with a spinning kick. Credit: Punch Newspapers.
Featherweight Bout
Edson Barboza: 24-11-0, 14 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Lerone Murphy: 13-0-1, 7 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Barboza has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #7 ranked Lightweight Beneil Dariush (22-6-1), #11 ranked Lightweight Dan Hooker (23-12-0), and #15 ranked Featherweight Sodiq Yusuff (13-4-0). He is one of the most respected, dangerous strikers in the UFC and has been in the promotion since 2010. He has arguably the most devastating kicks in the UFC, holding multiple finishes via leg and spinning kicks. Barboza never telegraphs or overextends, remaining technical throughout and always throwing in combination. Training at American Top Team, he has the fourth most knockdowns in UFC history and throws everything with impressive speed and power. He rarely takes the fight to the mat but has defended 75% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Barboza is always dangerous and can produce a seemingly out-of-nowhere highlight reel knockout with ease.
Lerone Murphy finishes off Makwan Amirkhani with ground and pound. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Murphy is undefeated and has UFC victories over Josh Culibao (11-3-1), Makwan Amirkhani (17-10-0), and Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-5-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with solid power in his hands. He’s in perpetual motion, constantly feinting and staying at range before blitzing in with looping hooks and overhands. Murphy is patient on the feet, finding openings before throwing combinations and never loading up. He is averaging over one takedown landed and nearly one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Training at Manchester Top Team, he’s strong in the clinch, never accepts position on the mat, and has excellent scrambles. Murphy’s striking sets up his grappling and vice versa, and he’s never predictable inside the cage.
Best Bets
Adrian Yanez by KO/TKO: Initially, Yanez appeared to be one of the most promising prospects in the Bantamweight division but has recently suffered back-to-back losses and needs a big win. This matchup seems perfect for what he’s looking for; Salvador is very loose and wild, attempting unorthodox attacks and fighting with his hands down. This matchup is ideal for a technical, pressuring striker like Yanez, and I expect him to find Salvador’s chin early and often.
Themba Gorimbo Moneyline: One of the closer matchups on the card; both are excellent grapplers with differing styles. While Brahimaj is a marauder always hunting for an early finish, Gorimbo grinds out his opponent and wears them down over time. Although both of their strong suits are grappling, I believe Gorimbo has the edge on the mat. In Brahimaj’s UFC tenure, he excelled when facing less experienced opponents but struggled when facing veteran grapplers like Court McGee. While Gorimbo is by no means a veteran, he is an excellent grappler and has solid striking as well. Unless Brahimaj secures an early finish, he will be in big trouble by the third or even second round. I expect Gorimbo to out-grapple and out-pace Brahimaj to a victory.
Edson Barboza Moneyline: I was slightly surprised upon seeing Barboza as the underdog in this bout. Murphy is undoubtedly an excellent fighter, but nothing jumped off the screen at me when watching his fights. He isn’t wildly powerful or exceptionally technical, nor is he a particularly dominant grappler: his most impressive skill is blending his abilities together. Unfortunately for him, he’s going against one of the most devastating strikers ever. He has not faced anyone near the experience or skill of Barboza, nor has he ever gone five rounds. Barboza proved in his last outing he still has a solid chin, and I believe he’ll push a pace Murphy won’t be able to match. I expect an impressive win and for Barboza to continue moving up the ranks of the 145-pound division.
