One of the most competitive matchups at UFC Fight Night 115 on Saturday, September 2 should be the one between Bryan “Bam Bam” Barberena and Leon Edwards. These two welterweights have similar records, as Barberena is 13-4 in his career, including 4-2 in the UFC, while Edwards is 13-3, including 5-2 in the UFC. This fight is expected to be placed on the undercard on FS1, leading up to the main event which features Alexander Volkov taking on Stefan Struve. Let’s look at Barberena vs. Edwards and UFC picks.
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Bryan Barberena (13-4, 4-2 UFC)
Barberena has won three of his last four fights, including a knockout against Joe Proctor in late April. Barberena has won four of his six fights in the UFC, as he defeated Joe Ellenberger in his debut in 2014, lost to Chad Laprise in 2015, defeated Sage Northcutt and Warlley Alves in 2016, lost to Colby Covington in late 2016 and then defeated Proctor.
Barberena has been a slow starter in fights but he didn’t have any issues in his last win against Proctor. “I believe I’m a slow starter,” Barberena told MMAjunkie after that win. “It’s something we’ve always talked about after every fight – getting started faster. And if not physically, (then) mentally being in there and seeing things and having good eyes for what’s coming.”
Barberena has lived up to his nickname of “Bam Bam,” as he has ten wins by knockout and two by submission. He has four first-round finishes. Barberena said on UFC.com that his nickname of “Bam Bam” goes back a long way. “I have quite a few nicknames that have been tossed around. But Bam Bam is the one that really stuck. My family would call me it when I was little because I used to go around wild and hitting stuff; guess I kinda looked like Bam Bam from The Flintstones. So when I started fighting they called me it and it stuck. Crouch says it matches with my fighting style.”
Leon Edwards (13-3, 5-2 UFC)
Edwards split his first four fights in the UFC but he has since won three in a row. He has wins over Dominic Waters, Albert Tumenov and Vicente Luque. Two of those three wins were by decision.
Edwards said to The Sun that he has no worries about taking on Barberena. “I think this is a good match for me. I don’t think Barberena troubles me anywhere. I think his biggest strength is his toughness. Technically, I’d say he’s pretty much an average fighter.”
Edwards is already looking beyond this fight against Barberena. “I’ve never lost in Europe before so it’s definitely a good fit for me but next year I’d really like to fight in America. After this win I’m going to be looking to fight someone from the top 10 and I’ll be looking to start making a run for that belt towards the end of this year or early next year.”
Edwards has five knockout wins in his career, three submission wins and he has five first round finishes.
UFC Picks
This fight should be one of the most entertaining ones on the card, as both fighters have power and are not afraid to stand and trade shots. I give Barberena the slight edge, but I think the better option is to take the rounds under.
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UFC Fight Night 115 takes place on Saturday, September 2 at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The feature fight is a matchup between Stefan Struve and former Bellator heavyweight champion Alexander Vokov. There should be five or six fights on the main card on FS1 and four on the preliminary card, also on FS1, plus two on UFC Fight Pass.
Fight Card
Stefan Struve vs. Alexander Volkov
Germaine de Randamie vs. Marion Reneau
Rustam Khabilov vs. Desmond Green
Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Saparbek Safarov
Bojan Mihajlovic vs. Abdul-Kerim Edilov
Francimar Barroso vs. Alexsandar Rakic
Bryan Barberena vs. Leon Edwards
Nick Hein vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
Mairbek Taisumov vs. Felipe Silva
Darren Till vs. Bojan Velickovic
Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Rob Wilkinson
Mads Burnell vs. Michel Prazeres
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