UFC president Dana White turned to twitter today to announce a pretty big fight for UFC 147. Evan Dunham will take on the undefeated Edson Barboza in a bout that is almost surely main card material. Here's the tweet:
@danawhite
Dana White For the UFC 147 card May 16th in Vegas we just signed Edson Barboza vs Evan Dunham!! #funfight
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Dana corrected himself shortly after, and said he meant UFC 146 and May 26th. Still though, this is an excellent fight. Dunham has rebounded from two losses (to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard) by winning two in a row, most recently in a fight of the night performance against Nik Lentz. Barboza is 4-0 in the UFC and is coming off one of the best KO's in UFC history, a spinning wheel kick knockout of Terry Etim at UFC 142.
With five fight of the night bonuses between the two fighters (Dunham also has a sub of the night, while Barboza has a knockout of the night), this bout has excitement written all over it. The only other bout currently confirmed for the card is Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway, but it is widely expected that Junior dos Santos will defend his UFC heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem on the card as well.
1 recs | 68 comments
Damnit!
I tried so hard to be the one to break this on BE first. I have to work on my journalism skills.
Dustin Luff - February 19, 2012
Amazing fight
Winner will probably break into top 5 in the LW division.
I think Evan can take this to the ground and sub him.
av1o3 - February 19, 2012
I think it will be a great fight, but I like Edson.
Evan and Etim are very similar, but Dunham has better wrestling, so that should be the deciding factor.
Snatchl - February 19, 2012
Everyone who knows me here knows I'm an XC fanboy
but I’m scared for Dunham here. Barboza has solid counter grappling skills, and is definitely superior to Dunham standing.
ElliotMatheny - February 20, 2012
Agreed
I’m worried that it would be similar to the Guillard fight but Barboza hasn’t fought a grappler as good as Dunham either.
av1o3 - February 20, 2012
Confirmed for typo
It’s May 26th.
Farthammer - February 19, 2012
You also post on filmdrunk?
Art_Wanderlei - February 19, 2012
I am everywhere and nowhere
Farthammer - February 19, 2012
Wait, what?
I mean, yes. Yes I do.
Farthammer - February 19, 2012
Cool. Been thinking about signing up over there been reading that site for a while.
Art_Wanderlei - February 19, 2012
Don't be scared.
Farthammer - February 19, 2012
Now I feel like I have to
Art_Wanderlei - February 19, 2012
...homie
Arca MMA - February 20, 2012 via mobile
Does that include emails to Magary?
How many other Farthammer could there be?
Snatchl - February 19, 2012
i pose on film,
Drunk all the time
Mike Ox Sofa King Thai Knee - February 19, 2012 via mobile
No HT Burke? I know you saw my comment!
Chris Hall - February 19, 2012
You just got Nick Thomas'd by Tim Burke
IRodC - February 19, 2012
LOL
Tim Burke - February 19, 2012
Dunham by sub, round 2.
pdl - February 19, 2012
Yes
Chris Hall - February 19, 2012
Giving Barboza the Bones Jones treatment...
I thought they would’ve gave him somebody in the title picture
rscott94 - February 19, 2012 via mobile
Like This Matchup
Could Be An Interesting Card
Melodic KO - February 19, 2012
sick.
Jeremy Couturier - February 19, 2012
Hoo doggy.
les rallizes denudes - February 19, 2012
Really? You're posting a Barboza gif and leave THIS out???
Chris Hall - February 19, 2012
I liked the 128 kick better, actually.
I’m a hipster, I guess.
les rallizes denudes - February 19, 2012
MMA hipsters are the best
savik - February 19, 2012
awesome
Our Bovine Public - February 19, 2012
Hate to be a buzzkill
But Fitch didn’t get a single 50-45.
SSreporters - February 19, 2012
Aren't they?
Sugel Mendoza - February 20, 2012
That makes no sense
That fight had at least one 10-8 round.
discoandherpes - February 20, 2012
speaks volumes about Njokuani’s chin. The same shot that completely shut Etim off just made him stumble.
Hendo_One-Shot - February 19, 2012
To be fair the one that shut Etim off caught him clean and was in the middle of its course,
whereas the one that caught Njokuani was ending its course at the time of the impact.
Sweet Scientist - February 19, 2012
Idk. It still looked like it hit him pretty damned hard.
Hendo_One-Shot - February 19, 2012
Notice how Njokuani stops moving forward. Etim didn't and walked right into the power.
Barboza clipped Njokuani good but nothing like the bomb he dropped on Etim.
pdl - February 19, 2012
Etim wasn’t really moving much right before the kick. All movement stopped as it landed it seems.
Hendo_One-Shot - February 19, 2012
The biggest difference to me is that Etim got hit straight to the jaw with the heel while Njoukani kinda gets hit more with the middle section of the foot.
av1o3 - February 19, 2012
Ho, I still think it hit him hard, I just think it didn't hit him as hard as the one that hit Etim.
Spinning heel kicks have the most power at 180 degrees of rotation and lose a bit of power after that, looks to me that the one that hit Njokuani landed a bit after that, unlike the one that slept Etim.
Sweet Scientist - February 19, 2012
Oh god how I hope Dunham wins this fight. It seems like I’m the only one still on his hype train. Also, for whatever reason I’m not really that sold on Barboza yet(could be because he still hasn’t fought a power wrestler in a division full of amazing grapplers). My heart says Dunham by RNC 2nd round but reasoning tells me it will be Barboza by 3 round decision in a somewhat underwhelming fight.
savik - February 19, 2012
Im going with Dunham with this one. Not sold on Barboza’s hype. Although that spinning back kick was impressive, sick fight BTW
MMA214 - February 19, 2012 via mobile
goddamn that is a fantastic fight
I just got a violence boner.
Earl Montclair - February 19, 2012 via iPhone app
This is the type fight that makes my balls tingle
Also, some future employer of mine is going to Google my name and see all of my posts. I regret nothing, potential boss.
Tim Bernier - February 19, 2012 via mobile
This was an enormous concern for me during my job hunt.
Tedd Welch - February 19, 2012
I'm sure you were saved by your employer googling "Todd Welch"
Chris Hall - February 19, 2012
I wonder about this as well..
Chris Hall - February 19, 2012
I worry about this too
Earl Montclair - February 19, 2012
Me too
halitosis - February 19, 2012
Me too
Farthammer - February 19, 2012
Like they’d believe Earl Montclair is a real name.
DirtyML - February 19, 2012
this will show how far edson can go in the division.
interesting if evan can take him down and keep him down
inthepipes - February 19, 2012
I'm very excited to see this one for that reason.
I’m on the Barbosa hype train, but I think he’s only a blue belt in bjj, so his TD defense vs. Dunham’s wrestling are gonna be the deciding factor.
Snatchl - February 19, 2012
Unrelated but
is Sean Sherk ever going to fight soon.
NEW-HAMPSHIRE - February 19, 2012
He says he’s going to fight in early summer if he doesn’t get injured again.
Tim Burke - February 19, 2012
Hahahaha. Sean Sherk, not injured. Does not compute.
Sweet Scientist - February 19, 2012
Great matchmaking and sick fight.
Dunham should test Barboza’s TDD and ground game, I’m looking forward to it.
Sweet Scientist - February 19, 2012
I was hoping Barboza was going to fight Pettis if he won on Saturday
The hype would be pretty cool since they each have one of the best kicks in MMA history.
This should still be pretty interesting and I thought Dunham looked really good in his last fight.
City Lights - February 19, 2012
way too soon for Barboza IMO. This fight (or even someone lower down the ladder) feels about right to me
Our Bovine Public - February 19, 2012
Pettis would wrestle him into nothingness right now.
James Brady - February 19, 2012
Dunham gets off to some god awful starts
But if he survives, I think he wins. He’s a more complete fighter.
SSreporters - February 19, 2012
This made my gooch quiver
Which I planned to say before reading abut Bernier’s ball tingling. This is awkward.
James Brady - February 19, 2012
Evan Dunham better watch out for lions
Chris Groves - February 19, 2012
Good fight here. Barboza should have the standup advantage, but the wrestling and BJJ goes to Dunham. Barboza was showing improved takedown defense and ability to get back to his feet against Etim, but Dunham is a much stronger grappler than Etim.
chrisbboy82 - February 19, 2012
I could see Dunham taking this, Barboza looks a little too complacent at times, and I think Dunham has the right mix of wrestling and BJJ to take him out of his element
jammin.. - February 20, 2012
love this fight
Johnathan Willis - February 20, 2012
What's up with everybody thinking Barboza's getting sub'd?
I think it’s way more likely that Barboza’s gonna reintroduce Dunham with unconsciousness.
Fake Emcee - February 20, 2012
I'm feeling Barboza on this one
Dunham starts pretty not-fast and his chin is pretty not-granite, rocked by Escudero, KO’d by Guillard, etc…
I think I’d hedge my bets on Barboza’s TDD being solid enough for him to get a chance to hurt Dunham on the feet and then finishing it from there.
Chris Groves - February 20, 2012
Awesome. This will be a fun one.
Hart Thorson - February 20, 2012
I can't believe nobody has ripped on the Mayhem/Dollaway fight yet.
I was kind of expecting a bloodbath of insults.
NickRingp4pGOAT - February 21, 2012
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