UFC Fight Night 128: Barboza vs. Lee | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- May 20
- 7 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 128: Barboza vs. Lee took place on Saturday, April 21, 2018 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey — broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 to 956,000 average viewers (561k FS1 prelims). The card drew 9,541 fans for a gate of $923,720. It was the ninth UFC event in Atlantic City and the first since July 2014 — and the first at Boardwalk Hall since June 2005. The main event was a lightweight bout between Edson Barboza and Kevin Lee.
Lee defeated Barboza convincingly despite missing weight — weighing in at 157 lbs, 2 lbs over the non-title LW allowance. Ricky Simon and Merab Dvalishvili earned Fight of the Night. Siyar Bahadurzada and David Branch earned Performance of the Night. The co-main event saw Frankie Edgar defeat Cub Swanson in a featherweight matchup of two long-time top-five FW veterans. Dan Hooker defeated Jim Miller in a lightweight bout that demonstrated Hooker’s growing UFC contender credentials.
Atlantic City Returns — Ninth UFC Visit After Four-Year Gap
Boardwalk Hall is Atlantic City’s primary indoor arena. The UFC had previously hosted eight Atlantic City events — many at the since-demolished Convention Center facility — dating back to UFC 24 in 2000. The four-year gap since the 2014 visit and the 13-year gap since Boardwalk Hall itself reflected Atlantic City’s casino-economy contraction. The 9,541 attendance and $923,720 gate were competent figures for a non-headline-name market. Kevin Lee’s weight miss — at 157 lbs for a 156 lb non-title LW fight allowance — was confirmed at weigh-ins but the fight proceeded.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, April 21, 2018 (9th UFC in Atlantic City; first since July 2014; Boardwalk Hall first since 2005)
📍 Venue: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey
👥 Attendance: 9,541
💰 Gate: $923,720
📺 Broadcast: Fox Sports 1 — 956,000 avg. viewers (561k FS1 prelims)
🏆 Main Event: Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee — LW (5 rounds; Lee missed weight at 157 lbs; fight at catchweight)
✅ Result: Lee def. Barboza — LW (Lee’s comprehensive victory despite 2 lb weight miss; Lee building LW contendership post-interim title fight loss to Ferguson)
Main Event: Lee Dominates Barboza Despite Missing Weight
Lee had most recently fought Tony Ferguson in the interim UFC LW title fight at UFC 216 in October 2017, losing by TKO in round four. Barboza was a ranked top-five LW with Brazilian kick-boxing style and multiple KO bonus performances. Lee’s physical profile — his wrestling base, striking threat, and grappling control — was the tactical counter to Barboza’s preferred striking game. Lee’s weight miss at 157 lbs reflected the weight-cutting challenges that had previously produced a significant miss earlier in his career.
Lee’s performance was comprehensive enough that media coverage described it as a ‘beatdown’ of Barboza. His grappling control and striking accuracy limited Barboza’s offensive output significantly. The result re-established Lee in the UFC LW contender conversation after his Ferguson title fight TKO loss and demonstrated that his physical dominance at LW remained competitive even against elite opponents.
Edgar’s Co-Main Win, Hooker’s LW Statement & The Card
Dan Hooker’s win over Jim Miller was a significant individual result: Miller was a UFC LW veteran with the highest win total in the division’s history at the time, and Hooker’s defeat of a fighter with Miller’s track record was a meaningful step in his contendership build. Aljamain Sterling’s submission win over Brett Johns extended his BW contender win streak. Ricky Simon’s guillotine choke of Merab Dvalishvili — both fighters earning Fight of the Night — was a competitive BW exchange that ended with Simon’s submission in round three.
Full Results
Main Card (Fox Sports 1)
Kevin Lee def. Edson Barboza — LW (Lee missed weight 2 lbs at 157 lbs; comprehensive victory; ‘beatdown’ per media; Lee rebuilding LW contendership post-Ferguson title fight)
Justin Willis def. Chase Sherman — HW
David Branch def. Thiago Santos — MW (PoN $50k; Branch finish of Santos)
Aljamain Sterling def. Brett Johns — Submission — BW (Sterling building BW career; future UFC BW champion at UFC 259 March 2021)
Dan Hooker def. Jim Miller — LW (Hooker building LW career; future top-5 LW; Miller all-time UFC LW win record holder)
Preliminary Card (FS1 / UFC Fight Pass)
Ricky Simon def. Merab Dvalishvili — Submission (guillotine choke) — R3, 5:00 — BW (FotN $50k each; last-minute guillotine choke finish)
Siyar Bahadurzada def. Luan Chagas — TKO (kick) — R2, 2:40 — WW (PoN $50k)
Corey Anderson def. Patrick Cummins — Unanimous Decision — LHW
Ryan LaFlare def. Alex Garcia — Unanimous Decision — WW
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Fight of the Night: Ricky Simon + Merab Dvalishvili — $50,000 each
🥇 Performance of the Night: Siyar Bahadurzada + David Branch — $50,000 each
Records & Milestones
• 9th UFC event in Atlantic City — first since July 2014; Boardwalk Hall first since June 2005.
• Dan Hooker’s win over Jim Miller — a significant step toward LW contendership.
Legacy & Impact
Dan Hooker’s Atlantic City win over Miller launched the LW contender career that produced wins over Paul Felder, James Vick, Al Iaquinta, and Dustin Poirier before eventual setbacks. Sterling’s Atlantic City submission win over Johns was an early step in the BW title contendership that produced his UFC BW Championship at UFC 259 in March 2021 via the Tony Ferguson vs. Sterling disqualification stoppage. Sterling held the title through multiple defenses before losing to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023.
FAQ
Why did Lee’s weight miss not cancel the fight?
At 157 lbs, Lee was 2 lbs over the 156 lb non-championship LW allowance (which itself is 1 lb above the 155 lb limit). The commission and Barboza’s camp agreed to allow the fight to proceed at catchweight. Lee typically forfeits a portion of his purse to his opponent in these circumstances. The fight’s commercial significance and Lee’s own camp’s desire to compete meant the weight miss produced a financial penalty rather than cancellation.
What was Frankie Edgar’s Atlantic City significance?
Who was Dan Hooker before his Atlantic City win?
Hooker was a 28-year-old New Zealand lightweight affiliated with City Kickboxing, the Auckland gym that produced Israel Adesanya and other UFC champions. His Atlantic City win over Miller — a fighter with the most UFC LW wins in the division’s history at the time — was his most significant individual result to that point. His subsequent UFC LW career produced wins over Paul Felder and James Vick before high-profile fights against Dustin Poirier and Al Iaquinta.
What was Aljamain Sterling’s position at this stage?
Sterling was a 29-year-old Uniondale, New York bantamweight who had gone 5-1 in the UFC entering Atlantic City. His submission win over Johns added a finish to his growing contender record. His subsequent UFC BW career produced wins over Pedro Munhoz, Cody Stamann, Jimmie Rivera, Petr Yan (via DQ at UFC 259), and multiple title defenses before his loss to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023.
What was the Ricky Simon guillotine finish?
Simon’s guillotine choke of Dvalishvili at the end of round three — at 5:00 of round three, meaning the final seconds of the round — was a dramatic finish in a fight that both fighters earned Fight of the Night for. Simon applied the choke in a scramble near the end of the round, forcing the tapout with seconds remaining. The Fight of the Night designation recognised the quality of exchanges throughout the three rounds.
What was David Branch’s Atlantic City performance?
Branch had lost his previous UFC fight to Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 101 in November 2016. His Atlantic City Performance of the Night win over Santos was his return to bonus-quality competitive performance. Santos was a Brazilian middleweight with significant KO power; Branch’s individual finish quality against such a dangerous finisher earned the PoN recognition.
References
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