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The UFC must have thought long and hard before deciding what fight would be the headlining contest in the promotion’s return to Philadelphia after not holding an event in “The City of Brotherly Love” for nearly eight years. The reputation of Philadelphia sports fans for being difficult to please and quick to voice their displeasure is well documented, so the lightweight fight between all-action contenders Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje makes perfect sense.
After dropping consecutive fights to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kevin Lee, Barboza righted the ship with a third-round TKO of Dan Hooker in December, punishing the Kiwi fighter throughout the fight until a punch to the body finally proved to be too much for Hooker to withstand. Gaethje also won his last fight via stoppage, but his was a far less prolonged assault, knocking James Vick out cold with one right hand just a minute and a half into the first round. The knockout win over Vick also snapped a two-fight skid for Gaethje