''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 128'') was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event produced by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

that was held on April 21, 2018, at

Boardwalk Hall Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, formerly known as the Historic Atlantic City Convention Hall, is a multi-purpose arena in Atlantic City in Atlantic County, New Jersey. It was Atlantic City's primary convention center until the opening of the Atlant ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

Background

The event marked the promotion's ninth visit to

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, the first since July 2014. The promotion last contested an event at

in June 2005. A lightweight bout between

Edson Barboza Edson Barboza Jr. (born January 21, 1986) is a Brazilian-American professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer who competes in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has formerly competed at li ...

and former interim

UFC Lightweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

challenger Kevin Lee served as the event headliner. A light heavyweight bout between The Ultimate Fighter: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn light heavyweight winner Corey Anderson and Patrick Cummins was originally scheduled for

UFC 217 ''UFC 217: Bisping vs. St-Pierre'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on November 4, 2017, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Background The event was the second that the promot ...

. However, Cummins pulled out due to a

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasio ...

. The bout took place at this event.

Paulo Costa Paulo Henrique Costa (born 21 April 1991) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of August 1, 2022, he is #6 in the UFC middleweight ...

was expected to face Uriah Hall at the event. However, Costa pulled out of the fight in mid-March with an arm injury. In turn, promotion officials elected to pull Hall from the event and reschedule the pairing for a future event.

Augusto Mendes Augusto Mendes (born March 3, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner. He is currently signed to the Absolute Championship Berkut. He was the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Black ...

was pulled from a bout against

Merab Dvalishvili Merab Dvalishvili (born January 10, 1991) is a Georgian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of March 13, 2023, he is #1 in the UFC bantamweight ran ...

due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected on March 7, 2018. He was replaced by promotional newcomer

Ricky Simón Ricky Simón (born August 31, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the former Legacy Fighting Alliance Bantamweight Champion and currently competing in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of Dec ...

. Former WSOF Flyweight Champion

Magomed Bibulatov Magomed Khasanovich Bibulatov (born August 22, 1988) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting for ACA in the Bantamweight division. He competed in the flyweight division in Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former World Ser ...

was expected to face

Ulka Sasaki Ulka may refer to: * Ulka Gupta (born 1997), Indian film and television actress * Ulka Sasaki (born 1989), Japanese mixed martial artist * DRDO Ulka Ulka (Sanskrit: meteor or firebrand) is an air-launched expendable target drone of India. Desc ...

, but he pulled out a day before the event, citing back injury and the bout was cancelled. At the weigh-ins, Lee weighed in at 157 pounds, one pound over the lightweight non-title fight upper limit of 156 pounds. As a result, the bout proceeded at catchweight and Lee was fined 20% of his purse which will go to his opponent Barboza.

Aspen Ladd Aspen Kohl Ladd (born March 1, 1995) is an American professional mixed martial artist who is competing in the Featherweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). A professional since 2015, Ladd started her professional mixed martial arts ...

weighed in at 137.8 pounds, 1.8 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight upper limit of 136 pounds. Ladd supposedly offered Leslie Smith an additional $5,000 on top of her 20% purse deduction. However, the fight was removed from the card after Smith refused to fight at catchweight. Subsequently, the UFC paid Smith her show and win money but then released her from the promotion.

Results

Bonus awards

The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses: *Fight of the Night: Ricky Simón vs. Merab Dvalishvili *Performance of the Night: David Branch and Siyar Bahadurzada

References

{{2018 in mixed martial arts UFC Fight Night Events in Atlantic City, New Jersey 2018 in mixed martial arts April 2018 sports events in the United States Sports in Atlantic City, New Jersey Mixed martial arts in New Jersey 2018 in sports in New Jersey Boardwalk Hall

Background

Results

Bonus awards

See also

References