October 14, 2023 9: 57 pm ET
Edson Barboza’s night was nearly done in a blink, however the veteran striker was able to pull off a gritty resurgence win versus a harmful Sodiq Yusuff.
In the primary occasion of UFC Fight Night 230 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) almost completed Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) in one of the opening exchanges. Experience dominated though, as Barboza was able to rally back to make a consentaneous choice with ratings of 49-46, 48-46, and 48-46.
The 2 featherweights fulfilled in the middle and instantly started tossing down. Yusuff kept his guard high while tossing tough punches as Barboza fired back.
After Barboza simply missedouton the mark with a huge leaping knee, Yusuff rocked the Brazilian with a effective left hook followed by a sharp best hand. Barboza was plainly hurt and in survival mode early within the veryfirst minute of the battle.
“Super” Sodiq didn’t rush, however he constantly used more pressure with strikes, ultimately taking top control on the mat as Barboza did his finest to stay in the battle by threatening submissions from the bottom.
Looking to get back into it, the bruised and bloodied Barboza came out shooting strikes to start Round 2. Yusuff stayed defensively noise as he resumed his own offense. In the last 90 seconds of the round, Barboza started to install some momentum as he was able to keep Yusuff close to the fence.
The striking exchanges continued at a consistent rate in Round 3 as Barboza started to appear recuperated from the first-round scare. Keeping the pressure high, Barboza started getting the muchbetter of more and more exchanges. Suddenly out of noplace, Barboza uncorked a wheel kick that rocked Yusuff. The swarm was on for Barboza, however the surface wasn’t there.
Barboza wobbled Yusuff with a wheel kick 😱#UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/LOJY99Z3SF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2023
In Round 4, tiredness was obvious in both fighters, however that didn’t mean the action slowed. Barboza used more forward pressure, however Yusuff was right there to return fire with punches and kicks as they exchanged strikes.
Barboza continued pushing the action in the last frame. Not just did he fire veryfirst in exchanges, he kept the volume high throughout the round. Barboza