UFC Vegas 81 consisted of a great variety of back-and-forth fights and awesome finishes. The closest fight of them all however was the hotly-contested bout between high-level strikers Edson Barboza and Sodiq Yusuff. The fight had massive implications in the wide-open featherweight division, with the winner being on the border on a top 10 ranking.
Barboza came into the fight off the heels of a massive first-round KO of Billy Quarantillo back in April. The win became his first in nearly two years and just his third since 2018. While Barboza may not have the speed he did in his prime, his timing and striking arsenal will surely present some problems for the younger Yusuff.
Yusuff came into the fight with wins in his last two, needing just 30 seconds to secure a guillotine choke against Don Shainis last time out. Despite being the much younger fighter (7-year age difference) Yusuff is less active, with just 3 fights since the start of 2021. He returns after a year-long layoff and looks to improve to 7-1 in the UFC with his biggest win in the promotion to date.
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza
The fight consisted of a back-and-forth war between two of the best and most technical strikes at 145 pounds. The two traded massive punches and kicks while both having big rounds of success. Yusuff opened the fight dropping Barboza in just 30 seconds, swarming on top of him and nearly finishing the fight. Barboza regained his strength in round 2, keeping the round close before taking over in round 3 after landing his patent spinning wheel kick which he dropped and nearly finished Yusuff with. Round 4 was similar to round 2, another closely contested round where both men landed good shots. Barboza was pounding the body of Yusuff while Sodiq tried to land his jab and leg kicks at range. Round 5 was a bit more clear, with Barboza finding success with some hooks in the clinch while landing the more damaging blows. A late takedown sealed the round and subsequently the fight for Barboza, who was given the unanimous decision win.
The judges scored the fight 49-46, 48-46, 48-46 for Edson Barboza.
UFC Fighters React to Edson Barboza’s Fountain of Youth Performance
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Featured Image Credit to Embed from Getty Images
