The UFC APEX returns to host another Fight Night as MMA fans prepare for an event full of action, despite being under the radar due to the Boxing at the same time. The Main Event features the #12 Featherweight contender, Edson Barboza, taking on former contender of the division and undefeated fighter, Lerone Murphy. Here is everything you need to know and what to expect.
UFC poster for Edson Barboza vs. Lerone Murphy on May 18th 🖼️ pic.twitter.com/ZlPaRUwCqA
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Edson Barboza showed two incredible performances in 2023 as he knocked out Billy Quarantillo in the first round at UFC Kansas City before earning a comeback victory against Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Vegas 81, winning by unanimous decision.
Junior is currently on a two-fight winning streak and looks to increase it to three as the last time he earned three consecutive wins, it was in 2017 when he knocked out Beneil Dariush before losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 219.
The Nova Friburgo-born fighter has fought with the UFC since November 2010 and has always been a dangerous opponent with the unique knockout wins he achieves in the organisation, earning 14 KO/TKO wins out of his 24 MMA career victories.
The #12 Featherweight contender will aim to keep his ranking in the division plus, continue to impress the MMA community as he is not doing bad at age 38 with the unique fighting style he still uses to this day.
Lerone Murphy continued to shine with his unbeaten record last year, earning a split decision win against Gabriel Santos at UFC 286 and an unanimous decision victory over Josh Culibao at UFC London.
Murphy has only had six fights in the UFC as the closest he has been to losing a fight was on his debut at UFC 242, earning a split draw against Zubaira Tukhugov in the preliminary card.
The Manchester-born mixed martial artist easily prefers to knock out his opponents as despite having no submission wins, Murphy has earned seven KO/TKO victories out of the 13 MMA career wins he has with six of those knockout wins coming in the first round.
Murphy was previously in the Featherweight rankings but, he would be booted out after some unexpected changes to the division from the UFC 300 event as he looks to make his way back in as a contender in the 145-pound division.
Other fights you should look out for
Abus Magomedov vs Warlley Alves - Magomedov has only had three fights in the UFC, losing his last two as he looks for redemption at UFC Vegas 92. He won on his UFC debut with an emphatic 19-second knockout win against Dustin Stolzfus at UFC Paris before having the opportunity to enter the Middleweight rankings against Sean Strickland but would lose by second-round TKO. The former PFL fighter looks to get back in the win column and still be tough competition in the Middleweight division.
Alves has been fighting with the UFC since 2014 when he became the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3. The Brazilian did not have a lot of luck last year as he suffered a split decision loss against Nicolas Dalby at UFC 283, followed by a first-round knockout loss to Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 294. Alves is currently on a three-fight losing streak as he will looking for redemption just like his opponent at the UFC APEX.
Adrian Yanez vs Vinicius Salvador - Yanez was on top form in his MMA career until last year when his nine-fight winning streak got snapped by Rob Font, losing by first-round TKO at UFC 287 before a second-round TKO loss to Jonathan Martinez at UFC Vegas 81. The Texan fighter has knocked out 10 opponents out of the 16 he has conquered as he looks to get back to winning ways and stop his two-fight losing streak.
Salvador has yet to win in the UFC after losing by unanimous decision against Victor Altamirano at UFC San Antonio and CJ Vergara at UFC 291. Fenomeno earned a contract into the organisation after knocking out Shannon Ross in the second round on Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS). It is a must-needed win for the Brazilian as he may no longer fight with the company with one more loss.
Kalinn Williams vs Carlston Harris - Williams only fought once in 2023 but secured a victory after edging out a split decision against Rolando Bedoya at UFC 288. The OxFighter's first two UFC fights ended in 30 seconds or less as he knocked out Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassen in that time period. Williams has never been stopped in his MMA career and will look to keep that on his record as he aims to begin a winning streak while showing off an impressive performance in the co-main event.
Harris fought twice and successfully won both bouts after redeeming a knockout loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov with an unanimous decision win over Jared Gooden at UFC Paradise and a third-round submission victory against Jeremiah Wells. Mocambique has his fair share of stoppage wins, earning five KO/TKO and six submission wins in his MMA career, proving he is a well-balanced fighter. The Guyana-born fighter looks to continue his good run of form and possibly get a finish to move him closer to the Welterweight rankings.
Who takes the victory in the Main Event of UFC Vegas 92? Which fight are you looking forward to the most?
Written by Charlie Oxtoby
Instagram: charlie_oxtoby
MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma
Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1
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