BREAKING: Edson Barboza Set to Face New Opponent in October at UFC Fight Night

UFC featherweight Edson Barboza is on his way back to the UFC’s cage on October 10, and he will face off against Makwan Amirkhani. The veteran Brazilian was first scheduled to fight Sodiq Yuseff in his second 145-pound bout. However, Yuseff will no longer compete on the card due to undisclosed reasons. What’s more, the card is home to a marquee bantamweight fight between Marlon Moraes and Corey Sandhagen as the headliner.

The report of the aforementioned match-up came from Combate and is yet to be announced by the promotion. The bout is an opportunity for Finnish fighter Amirkhani to make a massive splash in the company. Not to mention, the fight holds certain implications for the 145-pound division going forward and the winner will be a fighter in contention.

UFC Featherweights: Edson Barboza vs Makwan Amirkhani

The 20-9 Brazilian veteran in Barboza is riding a major career slum, having lost five of his last six professional fights. Most recently, he lost his featherweight debut to Dan Ige by a split decision back in May 2020. Now, he will require a victory in his upcoming outing as he seeks a career turnaround.

Barboza brings lethal Muay-Thai and kickboxing out of the orthodox stance and is a nightmare for fighters at range. However, his takedown defense is questionable as the fight moves into the later rounds. Squaring off against Amirkhani, Edson will have to be wary of the grappling threat he possesses.

‘Mr. Finland’ is riding off a 3-1 split in his last four outings and has looked to be in prime form as of late. He is coming off a spectacular anaconda choke submission win over Danny Henry at UFC 251 and will look to continue his upward trajectory. As mentioned above, Makwan is dangerous once the fight hits the canvas and has respectable power in his punches.

The featherweight division is being spearheaded by Alexander Volkanovski, who’s one of the most versatile fighters on the roster. Moreover, he has tailored his approach to a specific opponent effectively, thus making him a lethal challenge. The fighters in the division will have to string together statement wins to earn their shot at Alexander ‘The Great’. Could Barboza or Amirkhani rise in the rankings to earn a championship fight soon?