Edson Barboza vs Dan Ige preview

Edson Barboza vs Dan Ige preview: prediction and betting guide

Preview updated May 15th 2020.

Fight no. three (just before the co-main) is Edson Barboza vs Dan Ige. A great fight on another great UFC card. Barboza is heading down to featherweight to test this abilities there. He will lock horns with Dan Ige who is coming off a five fight win streak. Let’s dive into this preview where we will look at predictions and betting tips.

Edson Barboza

“Junior”

Barboza is 34 years old and normally fights at lightweight (70 kg). For this fight he is moving down to featherweight which means he will have to weigh 65 kg. He has professional record of twenty wins and eight losses and an average fighting time of 11:09. Edson is 180 cm tall with a 190 cm wingspan. He fights in the orthodox stance where he averages 4.01 significant strikes per minute. Barboza lands 43% of strikes thrown and defends himself against 60% of his opponents’. He absorbs 4.16 strikes per minute.

Barboza is a striker so his grappling numbers aren’t something to behold. However, his takedown defence of 80% is quite impressive. This means that he stops eight out of ten takedown attempts from his opponents. If he does shoot for a takedown, he does it with a 44% accuracy. On average, he completes 0.49 takedowns every fifteen minutes. Barboza has lost four of his last five fights, getting knocked out twice in the process. His UFC record is 14-8.

Dan Ige

“50K” or “Dynamite”

Dan Ige is 28 years of age and a natural featherweight fighter. He is 170 cm tall and has a reach of 180 cm. Ige’s professional MMA record has thirteen wins and two losses on it. He has an average fight time of 10:47 and fights in the orthodox stance. Ige lands 3.89 strikes every minute and absorbs 2.69. He has a striking accuracy of 49% and a striking defence of 62%. Dan lands 2.38 takedowns every fifteen minutes and defends against 61% of takedowns made against him. His takedown accuracy is 35% and his submission average is 0.8. Ige’s UFC record is 5-1. He has never been finished.

Prediction

There are some advantages to both sides, but the ones that are on Barboza’s side are more valuable. First of all, he has those 10 cm reach and height advantages. He is also naturally the much bigger guy, and will probably outweigh Ige by some kilos once they’re in the cage. Size advantages like that has great effects on grappling and Barboza isn’t easy to take down. He has only been taken down fifteen times in his UFC career, and eight of those have come from Kevin Lee and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

When you look at who Barboza has lost to in his last five fights you see how he has lost: Paul Felder, Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, Kevin Lee and Khabib Nurmagomedov. His last fight with Felder was a very controversial split decision and he knocked out Hooker when they fought. Barboza also had Lee in a world of trouble, landing a signature spinning head kick that had Lee on skates. Barboza is far from done, and with that 80% takedown defence, he just has the skills to beat Ige. Ige doesn’t have crazy power in his hands, and he only has three KO wins, one inside the UFC. Edson Barboza is fighting out of American Top Team which is a very good gym. However, Lee just needs to keep this fight on the feet and chop down Ige, the much smaller man.

Prediction: Edson Barboza beats Dan Ige.

Ige vs. Barboza betting guide

Ige’s only real advantage is his five right win streak. Big win streak can give a fighter some additional mental fortitude, but against a veteran like Barboza it won’t add much value to his odds. Barboza is the better striker, the bigger guy and the much more experienced fighter. Pick Barboza to go out there and get it done inside the distance. Odds should be around 3.10

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