The UFC 262 bout between Shane Burgos and Edson Barboza was not only a clash of two top-15 featherweights but a matchup that had fight of the night potential all over it.
From the jump, Barboza aimed for the calf of Burgos and was slamming low kicks into his opponent. In classic “Hurricane” fashion he pushed forward nonetheless and looked to get his boxing going. Landing several good hooks to the Brazilian’s body. With about two minutes left, Burgos seemed to find a groove as he worked off his jab. However, with a minute left Barboza landed a partially blocked head kick that shifted the momentum back to him. It was a very competitive round where both had moments, but the low kicks from Barboza definitely had an effect.
Edson Barboza stops Shane Burgos by TKO in the third round
In the second round the low kicks did not come as often after Barboza notably had blood trickling from his shin. However, the 30-year-old Burgos was still pushing the pace, chasing his opponent and landing punches. He also continued the body work that has seemed to help in slowing his opponent down and making it easier to land his strikes. While the first round felt like more of a showcase for what makes Barboza talented, the second round seemed to display why Burgos is the ninth-ranked fighter in the division. The fight seemed up for grabs heading into the third.
The third round began with the pair going toe-to-toe once again. But after a minute into the round “Junior” landed a hook that Burgos took without much issue, at first. Then after a few seconds, Burgos all of a sudden became weak in the knees, stumbled back, and seemed out cold without another shot being landed. Barboza jumped on his seriously damaged foe and landed several shots to force the technical knockout win.
It’s a major victory for the thirteenth-ranked Barboza that will help him in climbing the featherweight rankings quickly next week. He is now 2-1 in the division after back-to-back victories. Burgos has lost two-straight for the first time in his career and will likely lose his top-10 spot. It was a very unsettling end for the New York native. Hopefully, there are not any deeper issues that led to the fight finish and he has a $75,000 bonus check waiting for him at the end of the night.
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