A welterweight clash between Jake Ellenberger and Bryan Barberena could be on the horizon.
Despite going 2-6 in his last eight bouts, Ellenberger finds himself at the 12th spot on the official Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) rankings. Many fighters including Patrick Cote have tried to knock him off the rankings and take his spot.
Cote will battle Thiago Alves instead at UFC 210, but another challenger awaits.
Barberena recently told Flo Combat that he’d like to go one-on-one with Ellenberger. “Bam Bam” said his challenge has nothing to due with personal matters:
“There is someone I’d like to fight though. I don’t know if he’d like to fight me, but it would be a good one for the fans. I’d like to fight Jake Ellenberger. I think it would be a good fight for the fans. I have nothing against him. I’ve met him in person, fought his brother and no hard feelings. I just think it would be a great fight.”
Flo Combat later reached out to Ellenberger for a response. “The Juggernaut” said he’s received multiple challenges, but wouldn’t mind sharing the Octagon with Barberena:
“He’s like the eighth guy to call me out in the past month but sure. I’m in and it would be a great scrap.”
Since entering the UFC, Barberena has gone 3-2. “Bam Bam” made his UFC debut a successful one, beating Ellenberger’s brother Joe via TKO in the third round. Barberena would win two of his next four bouts.
“Bam Bam” nabbed a submission win over Sage Northcutt back in Jan. 2016. It was Barberena’s return to welterweight. He then picked up a unanimous decision victory over Warlley Alves. He failed to secure a third straight win against Colby Covington. “Bam Bam” fell short in a unanimous decision loss.
It’ll be interesting to see if the UFC books Ellenberger vs. Barberena.
