Dog Eat Dog Division: Lightweight Prospects Etim And Barboza Must Walk Through Each Other Towards Prominence

By Raphael Garcia When you first look at the UFC 142 card, you might think that this event lacks the big name star power to create the kind of spectacular showing that the organization’s most recent trip to Brazil for UFC 134 was able to. However, this event will feature quite a few interesting matchups outside of its main and co-main events. The lightweight showdown between Terry Etim and Edson Barboza is one such matchup.It’s easy to get lost in the lightweight division. With names such as Frankie Edgar, Benson Henderson, Gray Maynard, and Anthony Pettis, the 155 pound weight class has quickly become a shark tank where careers and momentum can be swallowed up in an instant. Barboza and Etim are two 25-year-old lightweights who have the potential to shoot up the ranks during 2012. But to do so, they must go through each other when they meet at the next event. Barboza first burst onto the mainstream fight scene when he chopped Mike Lullo’s legs out from under him at UFC 123. After...