The UFC is putting together an absolute banger together for the main event of their Fight Night on October 3rd. According to multiple reports, UFC featherweights Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) and Edson Barboza (20-9) will be going head-to-head.
These two are two of the more exciting fighters in the UFC‘s lower weight classes. They’ve both spent time at lightweight and featherweight, but have never crossed paths until now.
UFC Striking War
If you’re a fan of striking, this should be a fun one to watch. Barboza is going to throw a lot of flashy techniques with lightening speed while Stephens will look to uncork ungodly power that will cause Barboza to be staring at the lights.
Both of these two UFC favorites are on a really bad skid over the last few years. For Barboza he enters the octagon on October 3rd on a current stretch of 1-5 in his last six fights.
His last two fights were split decision losses. After competing at lightweight his full UFC career, Barboza dropped down to featherweight to take on Dan Ige back in May. Barboza looked great early even dropping Ige, but would fade and drop a decision.
The fight was razor close and many did believe that Barboza won the fight. It was a good sign that he looked decent in his first cut to featherweight.
Like Barboza, Stephens enters the octagon on his own skid. Stephens knocked out Josh Emmett back in early 2018, but since then, he’s gone 0-4, 1 NC in five fights.
Granted, all of the guys he has fought are top five guys in their respected divisions. Stephens last fought at UFC 249 where he was knocked out by Calvin Kattar.
This is a matchup with a ton of implications. A win for either man gets them going back in the right direction. A loss could really force one of them to evaluate where they are in their career. Should be a fun one to kick off October.