3 fights to look forward to and 2 that will likely disappoint at UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze
UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze will close out the action-packed month of August with a bang. The event, which will take place at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, will feature a surefire main event showdown between two hard-hitting featherweights looking to inch their way towards title contention.
Fireworks are expected to go off in the main event as striking savants Edson Barboza and Giga Chikadze collide. On top of that, this UFC Fight Night will also host the finale of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 29: Team Volkanovski vs. Team Ortega.
Bantamweights Ricky Turcios and Brady Hiestand will battle it out for the coveted UFC contract after training together inside the TUF house. Meanwhile, middleweight prospects Bryan Battle and Gilbert Urbina will square off in the co-main event.
UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze is expected to go down as one of the most exciting non-pay-per-view cards of the month. However, there are a few matchups on the card that won't exactly be 'Fight of the Night' candidates. On that note, let's take a look at three fights to look forward to and two that will likely disappoint on this card:
Fight to look forward to: Kevin Lee vs. Daniel Rodriguez (UFC welterweight)
![Kevin Lee vs. Daniel Rodriguez will take place on UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze [Image via @motownphenom on Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/8b7eb-16298791018560-800.jpg)
Kevin Lee will be moving back to the welterweight division for the first time in well over a year to make his long-awaited octagon return against veteran Daniel Rodriguez.
The past few years have been a rollercoaster ride of emotion for Lee, who has lost his grip on top contender status after losing back-to-back against Al Iaquinta and Rafael dos Anjos. He then moved back to lightweight and earned a much-needed win over previously unbeaten Gregor Gillespie.
But Lee's success was short-lived as he missed weight in a lightweight matchup against Charles Oliveira and subsequently suffered a submission loss at the hands of the Brazilian. Lee was initially scheduled to face unbeaten rising star Sean Brady at UFC 264, but the bout was canceled after Brady was forced to pull out due to a foot injury.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez has been one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster. The 34-year-old will be making a third appearance in 2021 in his seventh UFC assignment in the last 20 months.
'D-Rod' will enter UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Chikadze on a two-fight winning streak following his unanimous decision victory over Mike Perry and a first-round stoppage of Preston Parsons. Rodriguez's efforts allowed him to take the mantle as the most active fighter from his training partner Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone.