5 reasons why UFC 272 could turn out to be a classic event

#4. Edson Barboza and Bryce Mitchell could treat us to a classic striker vs. grappler battle

Bryce Mitchell is one of the best prospects in the featherweight division

UFC 272 features plenty of intriguing bouts. One of the best, on paper at least, sees featherweight veteran Edson Barboza face off with prospect Bryce Mitchell in a major step up for the latter.

Mitchell has produced some phenomenal performances in his octagon tenure to date. Most notable was his pulling off the second twister submission in the promotion’s history over Matt Sayles in 2019. However, he has yet to fight an opponent quite as accomplished as Barboza.

‘Junior’ might’ve fallen on hard times at points in recent years, but his 2021 wins over Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani showed he’s still got the ability to take out excellent fighters, even if he’s no longer in title contention.

So can ‘Thug Nasty’ defeat Barboza and pick up the win that should push him into title contention? It’s really hard to say. One thing is for certain, though – this classic clash of striker and grappler should produce fireworks.

Barboza has rarely been in a dull fight ever since his octagon debut way back in November 2010. Meanwhile, Mitchell’s wild grappling style and combative attitude mean that he’s one of those rare fighters you can’t take your eyes off.

Essentially, this one should be a genuine contender for UFC 272’s Fight of the Night award. It may turn out to be one of 2022’s more outstanding fights.

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#3. UFC 272’s undercard is absolutely full of talent

Marina Rodriguez is just one of the talented fighters competing on this weekend's undercard

A number of recent UFC pay-per-views – including last month’s UFC 271 – were notable for their weaker undercard. The preliminary bouts in particular lacked name value.

That isn’t the case this weekend at UFC 272, though. The undercard of this event is simply packed with talent. Three or four of the preliminary bouts are worthy of the main card of any UFC event.

The strawweight bout between Marina Rodriguez and Yan Xiaonan could produce the next title challenger in the weight class. Rodriguez has wins over Mackenzie Dern and Michelle Waterson and Xiaonan has beaten Claudia Gadelha.

The light heavyweight clash between Nicolae Negumereanu and Kennedy Nzechukwu seems destined to produce some kind of violent knockout, even if it might turn out to be sloppy. The same can be said for Jamie Mullarkey’s lightweight fight with Jalin Turner.

Even the early prelim card features two of the promotion’s hotter prospects in the form of Tagir Ulanbekov and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Essentially, for a hardcore UFC fan, every fight this weekend is worth keeping an eye on – meaning UFC 272 could definitely turn out to be a classic.