October 10th and the matchup between Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen has just got its brand-new undercard fight in the form of Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff. With a losing streak slowly accumulating for Barboza as well as the potential for a big victory for Yusuff, there is much to be excited about leading up to the fight.
The Return Of UFC
UFC and MMA are back and with it comes a new way of fighting in the form of Fight Island and amazing match-ups in the near future. With the return of the UFC has come several fights for the next few months to see America’s favorite sport returning in 2020. But with several other match-ups in Florida and other parts of the US, this has led to a huge number of matches heading onto our TV screens. One of the most highly anticipated matches that were reported to be taking place is between Edson Barboza and Jeremy Stephens however this was yet to be confirmed at the time.
The Featherweight Matchup On October 10th
With the rumour of Edson Barboza and Jeremy Stephens slowly gaining traction, there was a huge amount of speculation surrounding whether this matchup would happen or not. With several wins and losses in his career thus far, Jeremy Stephens is yet to have a resounding victory in the 2020 season. However, the matchup between both Edson Barboza and Jeremy Stephens slowly fizzled out as Stephens believed that he would not have enough time to make the 145lbs limit as safely as possible before the match-up. Though it is important not to rule out a match-up between these two fighters, it will not be happening in the near future.
Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff Featherweight Bought
With the ruling out of a matchup between Edson Barboza and Jeremy Stephens, there has been a need for a new matchup to be on the October 10th card. With the need for an undercard fight to come before the main event between Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen, this is the perfect opportunity for Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff to have their match-up and for Barboza to work on securing a long-awaited win. Up until present day Barboza has experienced several losses in the fights that he has taken part in, with the fighter taking home his last win in 2018, many are wondering if this could be his shot to begin the new Era and get back to his winning streak.
Along with the announcement of this fight on the undercard of the October 10th main event has come a huge surge of excitement from fans as the fight is set to be one, we have seen so far this year. With betting odds on MMA betting sites like the ones listed in SBO.net having placed Marlon Moraes as the winner of the main event, many others also have Yusuff as the winner of this match-up due to Barboza being unable to secure a win since 2018. But with a lot to prove, could this fight be the story of the underdog coming back to secure a victory when no one thought it possible? Only time will tell for when the match takes place on October 10th
Barboza Loss Against Dan Ige
When looking at the stats on paper, Barboza has lost a grand total of five of his previous six fights in the UFC, however, he believes that he deserves a winning bonus despite being unable to legally appeal the decision ageing the UFC after drawing the short straw in his match-up against Dan Ige. Since losing against Dan Ige in Florida in his last fight. This was the debut in this weight class and saw him losing by controversial decision. When asked about the decision by MMA Fighting Barboza had this to say:
“I’m sure I won both of those fights,” he said. “I’m upset, but at the same time, I’m okay, because I know I’m doing the right thing. I showed everyone I did great in the new weight class, and I’m sure I will be even better next time.”
Off the back of these continued losses, there are many wondering whether Barboza will come back all guns blazing in this upcoming fight. Or will he be adding this fight to the list of losses that is slowly accumulating? Will you be tuning in to watch?