UFC Fight Night: Green vs. Barboza

Bobby Green (23-5) vs. Edson Barboza (14-2)

Bobby Green looks to continue his long streak of victories as he goes up against Edson Barboza at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Austin.

Green has won his past eight fights, with his most recent victory coming against Josh Thomson. In that fight, Thomson won by way of split decision, doing just enough to get the victory. Green is very quick with his punches, and during this winning streak, he has won fights in four different ways. This is a fight that is very even when looking at the numbers and statistics, and Barboza is also a talented fighter who will be ready to go. Barboza got back on the winning track with a victory against Evan Dunham on July 16. He was able to defeat Dunham by knockout in the first round, which was a huge boost after a tough loss to Donald Cerrone. Both of these fighters are looking to make some noise in the lightweight class, so look for this to be a great battle. In the end, GREEN is just a little too talented, and he will get the victory.

"King" Green has 23 wins in his MMA career, with nine of those victories coming by knockout. He also has seven wins by submission and six by way of decision. He will have a little advantage when it comes to landing significant strikes (4.56 for Green, 4.14 for Barboza), while also being more accurate when landing those strikes (50% for Green compared to 40% for Barboza). However, with Barboza posting so many wins his career by knockout, look for Green to try and take this fight to the mat. He has a takedown average of 1.54, compared to 0.69 for Barboza. If he is able to take the fight to the ground, he has a great chance of winning this fight. However, if he tries to throw punch for punch, then he will have a difficult time to get the victory.

"Junior" Barboza has 14 victories in his career, with the majority of them (10) coming by way of knockout. He also has three wins by decision and one by submission. It is no secret that Barboza is going to look to end this fight as quickly as possible. He has great length, which should play a big role in this matchup. If he is able to use his length and keep Barboza at bay, he will be in great position to get the victory. If the fight does go to the mat, Barboza has shown the ability to defend against the takedown (84% takedown defense). While he can defend himself, it will be difficult for him to get the victory.