Yusuff came out guns blazing in Round 1, looking to stifle Barboza's kicking game with forward pressure and managed to hurt the Brazilian several times throughout the round using his powerful punches. Despite the vicious onslaught, the Brazilian somehow managed to keep his bearings and make it back to the stool at the end of the first frame.
However, despite nearly being stopped in Round 1, Barboza came out of his corner for the second round a rejuvenated man and went on to secure a dominant unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46 and 48-46) against Yusuff, even nearly finishing the Team Lloyd Irvin product in the third frame using his signature spinning heel kick. Barboza's elusive movement and consistent body attacks allowed him to slow down his opponent considerably, eventually earning him a hard-fought victory.
The co-main event of “UFC Vegas 81” featured an all-Brazilian women’s flyweight clash between former title challenger and Invicta FC champ Jennifer Maia (21-10) taking on Viviane Araujo (12-5). While both fighters seemed happy to engage in a tit-for-tat exchange of jabs and inside leg kicks initially, they picked up the pace two minutes into the first round, landing short bursts of flurries against their opponent. Although both fighters seemed equally active inside the Octagon, it was Araujo's forward pressure, coupled with her powerful strikes that seemed to give her the edge. Coming out in Round 2, Araujo managed to get her opponent to the ground following a few sharp strikes on the feet. From here on, she was able to control Maia on the ground, subsequently taking her back and threatening the choke, which Maia managed to fight off for the entire round.
The final round saw Maia come out with a sense of urgency. Perhaps one of the most competitive rounds of the match, Maia managed to land some shots of her own and eventually even dumped her adversary on the ground later hunting for submissions. However, Araujo managed to defend and eventually gain top position with 30 seconds remaining in the match. In the end, the judges awarded Viviane Araujo the unanimous decision victory (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
Elsewhere on the card, Jonathan Martinez (19-4) recorded an impressive Round 2 technical knockout via leg kicks against Adrian Yanez in a bantamweight matchup. This marks the second time Martinez has stopped an opponent with his vicious leg attacks. Martinez is now on a six-fight winning streak with wins over the likes of Cub Swanson, Said Nurmagomedov and Vince Morales.
In another exciting matchup, Andre Petroski (10-2) welcomed Michel Pereira (29-11) to the middleweight division after Pereira missed weight for his scheduled bout against Stephen Thompson at UFC 291. It took “Demolidor” just over a minute to land a vicious right hand and finish Petroski with his punches in the first frame.
With the event over, here are several interesting future contests that can be booked.
Edson Barboza vs. Calvin Kattar
With the latest win against Yusuff, Barboza will ideally be ranked No. 11. Keeping in mind the current landscape of the featherweight division, a match with Kattar (23-7) has the potential to be a barnburner considering the clash of styles. Ranked No. 7 in the division, Kattar is currently on a two-fight losing skid. “The Boston Finisher” last appeared inside the Octagon against Arnold Allen in October 2022, where he suffered a Round 2 technical knockout loss due to knee injury. Later, it was discovered that the American had torn the ACL in his right knee and has been out of action since then. With Kattar looking to make a comeback in the first quarter of 2024, Barboza can take his time to fully recover from the vicious bout with Yussuf for an opportunity that could see him break into the top 10 of the division once again.
Vivian Araujo vs. Lauren Murphy
Following her latest victory, Araujo can look to take on another top-10 opponent in her next outing. One of the more intriguing possible bouts for the Brazilian would be a matchup against former title challenger Murphy (16-6). Currently ranked No. 7 in the division, Murphy is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jessica Andrade back in January. At the moment, I find it hard to see the favorite in this potential matchup. Regardless, should a bout between Araujo and Murphy materialize, the winner will probably be in a position to face a top-five opponent next.
Jonathan Martinez vs. Ricky Simon
Now on a six-fight winning streak in the bantamweight division, Martinez could take on Simon (20-4) in his next outing. Ranked No. 12 in one of the most exciting divisions of the promotion, Simon had a five-fight win streak snapped back in April against rising prospect Yadong Song. It will be interesting to see if Martinez can work his way around Simon's gritty style and use his superior striking game to outperform the Washington native. The winner of this potential matchup should ideally be given a top-10 opponent for his subsequent fight.