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Featherweights

#9 FW | Shane Burgos (13-2, 6-2 UFC) vs. #13 FW | Edson Barboza (21-9, 15-9 UFC)

ODDS: Burgos (-135), Barboza (+115)

Barboza’s cut to 145 pounds may not have provided the drastic career turnaround for which he had hoped, but if early returns are any indication, his run at featherweight should still be a lot of fun. Barboza made it to the UFC just a year and a half into his professional career back in 2010, when that type of thing just did not happen. Still, the Brazilian managed to carve out a name for himself as one of the top prospects in the sport, particularly thanks to his beautifully brutal kicking game. Barboza’s undefeated run came to an end in a memorable upset against Jamie Varner—a fight that basically set the tone for the rest of the former Ring of Combat champion’s career. While Barboza was seemingly eternally on the fringes of title contention during his tenure at lightweight, a clear pattern emerged that he was absolutely allergic to pressure. Once opponents could get him moving backwards, Barboza just was not able to plant and throw the high-powered offense that made his game work. After dropping a tightly contested rematch to Paul Felder in 2019, Barboza had lost four of his last five bouts; and while all those losses were against strong competition, it was understandable that Barboza sought a new start at 145 pounds. It is still a bit hard to tell exactly how the weight cut has affected Barboza’s approach. He seemed a bit more willing to match the pressure of Dan Ige, albeit in another close loss, while his last bout against Makwan Amirkhani surprisingly turned into a slow-paced striking match. At any rate, Barboza’s win over Amirkhani finally gives him some momentum, and he will get a willing dance partner here in Burgos in a fight that could wind up stealing the show.

New York’s Burgos cannot help but be in exciting fights, as his approach is all about offense at the expense of defense. Burgos applies constant pressure and looks to throw in combinations, and while he is not a defensive void by any means, that style by itself means that he is often available for opponents to hit him in return. Still, Burgos’ durability and relentless pace mean he is usually left standing as the winner once all is said and done, even if it often takes a war of attrition. Fights against Amirkhani and Charles Rosa saw Burgos have to stage comebacks and score finishes in the later rounds. There does seem to be a ceiling on Burgos’ style, as featherweight does have some opponents who can match Burgos’ pace and throw with more power. Calvin Kattar was able to get the better of exchanges and become the only man to finish Burgos, while Josh Emmett managed to hit the Team Tiger Schulmann export with bombs for the better part of 15 minutes. Even if Burgos never quite gets over the hump to title contention, he is quickly making a name for himself as a beloved bringer of violence.

This should be a typical Burgos fight in all the best ways. The New Yorker figures to get his licks in and eat his opponent’s offense in return with little room for anyone to breathe. Burgos brings the type of pressure that has historically given Barboza trouble, but the Brazilian’s fight against Ige showed that as a featherweight, he is a bit more willing to match his opponents’ pressure and try to bully them back. While each man figures to stand their ground, Burgos looks to have the advantage in terms of pace and volume, which should in turn allow him to win rounds; and if one of the two winds up ceding ground, that still figures to be Barboza. This one is less about the result and more about the surefire entertainment, but the pick is for Burgos to take the decision.

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