The MMA Daily

The Featherweight division features a ranked battled between Edson “Junior” Barboza and Bryce “Thug Nasty” Mitchell. Coming off a tough defeat to Giga Chikadze, Barboza will look to redeem himself. Checking in at tenth in the Featherweight division, Barboza isn’t far off from getting back into the title picture. A win here, would surely help his cause. Meanwhile, Mitchell will step back in the octagon for the first time since October of 2020. A perfect 14-0 and ranked eleventh in the Featherweight division, Mitchell has a huge opportunity here to add the biggest name he’s fought to date on the resume.

As for a prediction, I have Barboza winning. Despite faltering in his last fight, Barboza has looked rather sharp since dropping down to 145 pounds. With one of the more dynamic striking in the UFC, Barboza is a handful on the feet. However, Mitchell isn’t going to trade shots with Barboza. He’s going to look to get this fight to the mat and use his grappling expertise to style on Barboza. Given Barboza has had fits with wrestlers and grapplers, I believe that Mitchell will have some success. But, as this fight wanes, Mitchell’s lengthy absence and cardio will begin to fade. So much so that, Barboza will land a clipping blow and finish the Arkansas native via TKO.