The co-main event for UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagen sees a featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Makwan Amirkhani. The 145-pound bout has ‘Fight of the Night’ written all over it, considering the body of work of both fighters. Although the aforementioned athletes are in different places in their careers, a statement win is definitely on the agenda.

Edson Barboza has gone 1-5 in his last six outings and to say he needs a win at Fight Night is an understatement. The former 155-pound staple has dropped to featherweight and his first bout against Dan Ige didn’t go his way. He lost a controversial split decision and will have to make a statement against Mr. Finland.

Makwan Amirkhani gets the biggest opportunity of his UFC career in his short-notice draw against Barboza. He steps in for Sodiq Yussef and is fresh off a win over Danny Henry via first-round Anaconda choke. The 16-4 fighter has held the tag promising contender for a while, and a win against Edson could catapult his career.

Read: Khabib Nurmagomedov Lauds Dan Ige After His Controversial Win Over Edson Barboza

UFC featherweights: Edson Barboza vs Makwan Amirkhani

Despite his recent career skid, Edson Barboza comes into the fight with a well of experience fighting high-level competition. He has faced champions and title challengers throughout his career, and his strength of schedule speaks for itself. Besides, his stand-up game is far superior to Makwan’s, and he possesses a well-rounded ground game with a brown belt.

Makwan Amirkhani will come into the fight with a chip on his shoulder, given the fight is his biggest showing to date. He brings a comprehensive offensive wrestling arsenal and unorthodox boxing heavy stand-up to the table. His brutal TKO loss to Shane Burgos back from UFC 244 will be a concerning factor going into this fight. Barboza has shown a similar relentless pace in certain fights, namely his scrap against Dan Hooker, and will turn on the heat as the fight plays out.

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Barboza brings forth durability rarely seen by fighters with such a lengthy career facing the elites. Not to mention, he’s hard to take to the ground, and even harder to keep there. Amirkhani’s clear grappling path to victory will be met with plenty of resistance, that could be insurmountable for Mr. Finland.

Prediction: Edson Barboza to claim a third-round TKO.

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