Saturday night marked the first event of our MMANews Fantasy League and it certainly did not disappoint. UFC Fight Night 128: Barboza vs. Lee was not a straightforward fight card for our first MMANews Fantasy League prediction.
Perhaps the most difficult prediction to make came in the main event of the evening. Both Kevin Lee and Edson Barboza were coming off of disappointing losses, so this was a pivotal matchup for both fighters. My Fantasy League prediction was Kevin Lee, as I thought he would capitalise on the holes that Khabib Nurmagomedov showed in Barboza’s ground game, and use his wrestling skills to control Barboza, draining his gas tank in the process.
Other members of the MMANews team believed that Barboza would have the ability to keep the fight standing and attacking Lee’s leg would help to slow him down, improving Barboza’s chances of finishing the fight on the feet. This fight was a difficult prediction for everyone competing in our MMANews Fantasy League, but the fight was very one sided on the night. Kevin Lee used his wrestling skills to take down Barboza at will, taking down Barboza a total of 4 times throughout the fight. Once down, Kevin Lee was able to control Barboza for a total of 15 minutes and 3 seconds.
Kevin Lee executed a great gameplan, but it was not perfect. In the third round, a tired and drained Barboza landed a spinning head-kick that surprised and wobbled Kevin Lee badly. Kevin Lee was able to recover, grabbing hold of Barboza soon after, and wrestling him to the ground. Kevin Lee continued his domination until Barboza was declared unfit to fight by the doctor in the fourth round.
Our first MMANews Fantasy League event was a massive success. Two individuals both correctly predicted 9/11 fights, but a winner has been crowned. With an astonishing score of 2460 and 4 perfect predictions, Ian Carey is our first MMANews Fantasy League winner.
Congratulations Ian Carey, your name will be added to the MMANews Fantasy League winners wall.
Our next Fantasy League event is UFC 224: Nunes vs Pennington. It will take place on May 12, 2018, at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Stay tuned to MMANews for our Fantasy League top tips article coming on the Wednesday before the UFC 224.
You can still join our MMANews Fantasy League! For all information click here.
