UFC Fight Night 128 Results: The Real Winners and Losers

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The book on Edson Barboza is that he dislikes pressure, especially from a grappler.

Another chapter was written Saturday in this main event in Atlantic City, as Kevin Lee established himself as a true force to be reckoned with in the lightweight division.

In the first second, Lee stalked Barboza down, pushed him against the cage and hit a double-leg takedown. Mount ensued, as did some serious and sustained ground-and-pound. The fight appeared nearly over in a few instances in the first round.

Barboza, meanwhile, was unable to work any offense. He took plenty of punches, hammer fists and elbows in the first five minutes, not to mention being force to hold Lee's weight on top of him.

And it only continued from there. Until, that is, the third round.

As Barboza wobbled around the cage, looking ripe for the plucking, he unleashed a spinning wheel kick that landed flush with Lee's temple and sent Lee wobbling back on some pantheon-level rubber legs. Somehow Lee stayed upright (though it may have been more dignified had he just fallen down), but Barboza made a mistake by rushing in for a choke attempt instead of going for the knockout. That allowed Lee to recover, even though the kick still helped to level the playing field and maybe earn Barboza a round on the judges' scorecards.

In the fourth, the pendulum swung back to Lee, with standing exchanges occurring—something Lee said later he wanted to do with the dynamic-striking Barboza. But takedowns and methodical ground-and-pound along the fence were still the primary weapon, if this time it was perhaps a bit more conservative. Barboza seemed to ply just enough jiu-jitsu defense to survive, but Lee had regained control and was content to ride it out to a victory.

The end came somewhat abruptly, when a timeout was called and a doctor subsequently called for a stop to the contest after Barboza took too much punishment.

"Mental strength was what was going to do it. I wanted to go five rounds and show my complete game." Lee told broadcaster Paul Felder in the cage after the fight. "That one kick. That man has some explosiveness on him. ...People know what time it is. It's Khabib time, baby."

That last reference was to lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. There's a waiting list there, with Dustin Poirier maybe at the top. But Lee has certainly cemented his claim to be a part of that list.