An intriguing welterweight match-up has been announced for UFC Fight Night 135, scheduled to take place at the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 25th. Bryan Barberena and Jake Ellenberger will both look to get back in the win column after their respective Octagon struggles.
Bryan Barberena Seeking An Ellenberger Sweep At UFC Fight Night 135
Barberena has lost two of his last three contests, while Ellenberger is currently riding a three-fight losing streak. The two were originally supposed to lock horns at UFC Fight Night 131 back in June, however that offering was canceled due to a minor injury sustained by Barberena.
Bam Bam Will Look To Add Another Ellenberger To His Resume
Interestingly, this will not be Barberena’s first tussle with a member of the Ellenberger clan. Back at UFC on Fox 13 in December of 2014, Bam Bam secured a 3rd Round TKO victory over Ellenberger’s brother, Joe.
The spirited affair saw both fighters enjoy success over the course of the first two frames, but in the end, it was Barberena who earned the stoppage victory courtesy of a barrage of heavy punches and elbows from the half-guard position. Despite recent struggles, a win over Ellenberger would complement Barberena’s impressive resume that includes notable triumphs over Sage Northcutt and Warlley Alves.
Posting wins over a pair of brothers is a fairly rare occurrence in the world of MMA. Perhaps the most prevalent example would be Dan Henderson getting his hand raised against the Ruas. ‘Hendo’ slipped by Murilo Rua via split decision at Pride 17 in November of 2001, and he went on to score multiple victories over a fellow legend, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. The first being a unanimous decision in a 5 round war at UFC 139, which many observers deem to be one of the best contests of all-time and then a 3rd round stoppage victory due to strikes at UFC Fight Night 38.
Another instance is Fabricio Werdum authoring wins over Emelianenko brothers, Aleksander and Fedor. The former occurred in November of 2006 and the latter was a memorable triangle armbar under the Strikeforce banner, which brought a halt to The Last Emperor’s long time win streak.
Do Or Die For The Juggernaut
BamBam’s Back August 25th Lincoln Nebraska!! pic.twitter.com/2b6QeaNFTL
— BRYAN BARBERENA (@bryan_barberena) July 18, 2018
Due to the aforementioned three-fight losing streak and after suffering setbacks in 8 of his last 10, in order to maintain his roster spot, this appears to be a must-win situation for Ellenberger. In his effort to get the job done, the Nebraskan can lean on experience competing against many of this generation’s top 170 pounders, such as Carlos Condit, Rory MacDonald, Jake Shields and Josh Koscheck when the cage door closes. He’s also sure to enjoy the benefit of a partisan reaction from the Cornhusker faithful who will be in attendance.
Barberena vs. Ellenberger is currently scheduled to take place on the prelims of a card that features a riveting main event between lightweight contenders Justin Gaethje and James Vick.
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