Last Time In Atlantic City

The bantamweight tilt between Ricky Simón and Merab Dvalishvili was a wild fight with an even wilder ending.

It was Simón’s UFC debut and he wanted to make a great first impression. It was a grueling fight, with the pace that we’ve come to know from “The Machine.” With one minute to go in the fight Dvalishvili shot a takedown, which Simón used to snatch a quick guillotine choke. For the final 45 seconds of the fight Dvalishvili was frantically kicking his feet while trying to keep conscious. The final horn sounded and Dvalishvili was momentarily out, thus the referee decided to rule the fight in favor of Simón by technical submission.

Dan Hooker Delivers

After a starting his career off at featherweight for six bouts, Dan “The Hangman” Hooker started making a major name for himself when he moved up to the lightweight division. He ripped off two finishes to set up a matchup with veteran Jim Miller and delivered his best performance to date.

Hooker and Miller set quite the pace to start their fight, with Hooker as the main aggressor. He was firing his excellent front kicks and flashing knees up the middle. At the three-minute mark, he threw a picture-perfect right knee that knocked Miller out up against the fence. It was an epic knockout and proved that Hooker was a true contender at 155 pounds.

Frankie Edgar Outduels Cub Swanson

In 2014, Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson met in a five-round main event. “The Answer” was in control the whole way and with just four seconds left in the fight he submitted Swanson with a neck crank.

The two rematched at Boardwalk Hall in AC in 2018, with the New Jersey faithful chanting Edgar’s name. The UFC Hall of Famer landed the best shot of the first round while keeping very busy and pressuring Swanson. In the second, Edgar was able to mirror much of the work he did in the first frame, but, at the end of the round Swanson caught Edgar with a nice 1-2. The final five minutes belonged to Edgar, securing him a three-round sweep of Swanson.

The home victory for Edgar set him up for a title shot versus Max Holloway at UFC 240.

Kevin Lee Shines Against Edson Barboza

Thrilling lightweights Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee threw down in the main event in Atlantic City, with “The Motown Phenom” delivering one of the best performances of his career.

Lee wasted no time getting Barboza to the canvas in the first and second round. He poured on the damage for nearly eight minutes of ground control time, with his mixture of elbows and power strikes cutting up Barboza. Momentum shifted suddenly in the third round when Barboza connected with a spinning head kick that put Lee on stilts. Lee struggled to find his footing and desperately went for a takedown. He was able to get Barboza down and clear the cobwebs on his way to surviving the round.

Preview Every Fight Happening In Atlantic City

The fourth round started off with all sorts of attacks flying from Barboza, but just when it appeared he was getting momentum, Lee lifted him off the mat and planted him down. With Barboza flat on his back, Lee punished Barboza with ground-and-pound strikes. The damage on Barboza started to show at the beginning of the fifth round and he was swollen under both eyes. At 2:18 in the fifth round the doctor decided the damage was too significant and called the fight.

It was a heck of a fight for Lee and was full of intrigue from the first strike.