UFC Vegas 81: Yusuff vs. Barboza Odds, Schedule, Predictions
Edson Barboza welcomes Sodiq Yusuff to the main event scene at UFC Vegas 81 in a five-round featherweight affair from the Apex Facility in Las Vegas.
The event marks the first time the 30-year-old Yusuff will get to headline an event. The 37-year-old Barboza hasn't been the headliner since 2019 when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Justin Gaethje.
It's obviously a big opportunity for Yusuff who is working on legitimizing himself as a featherweight title contender. The Nigerian has built momentum since signing with the UFC in 2018. Now he gets a chance to enter a new tier.
A key women's flyweight tilt will serve as the co-main event. Fringe top 10 fighters Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araújo will make their case to be considered among the title contenders in the division.
Here's a look at the complete card and a breakdown of the featured bouts.
Fight Card, Schedule and Odds
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Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET)
Sodiq Yusuff (-166) vs. Edson Barboza (+140)
Jennifer Maia (-155) vs. Viviane Araújo (+130)
Jonathan Martinez (-110) vs. Adrian Yanez (-110)
Michel Pereira (-205) vs. Andre Petroski (+170)
Edgar Cháirez (N/A) vs. Daniel Lacerda (N/A)
Cameron Saaiman (+124) vs. Christian Rodriguez (-148)
Prelims (ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET)
Darren Elkins (+150) vs. T.J. Brown (-180)
Tainara Lisboa (-325) vs. Ravena Oliveira (+260)
Terrance McKinney (-550) vs. Brendan Marotte (+410)
Irina Alekseeva (+124) vs. Melissa Dixon (-148)
Chris Gutierrez (-278) vs. Alatengheili (+225)
Ashley Yoder (+300) vs. Emily Ducote (-380)
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Yusuff vs. Barboza
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This fight is going to tell us a lot about how confident Sodiq Yusuff is in his game. Yusuff is not a wrestler by trade and it isn't his strong suit. It is, however, the established path to beating Barboza.
Yusuff very well could end up wrestling with Barboza and winning, but it's a strategy that would have him fighting out of his element.
If Yusuff is confident in his skills, he isn't going to shy away from getting into a striking battle with Barboza. There's danger in that path. Barboza is getting on in years, but his kicks are still vicious.
That being said, he isn't the same exacting sniper that he once was with his kickboxing. Giga Chikadze scored a TKO win over him in 2021, Dan Ige and Paul Felder battled him to split decisions losses.
In Barboza's prime, those results would have been unthinkable. We're now 3-4 years past those split decisions and the Brazilian has only gotten older.
The only way Yusuff loses this fight is if the moment is too big for him or he simply gives Barboza too much respect.
Prediction: Yusuff via decision
Maia vs. Araújo
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The co-main event features women's flyweights who are in need of a win to stay relevant in the division.
Maia has won back-to-back fights but it came on the heels of a 2-4 run. One of those losses was in a title fight to Valentina Shevchenko, but she went on to lose two out of her next three with losses against Katlyn Chookagian and Manon Fiorot.
She did look better in her wins, but there wasn't a lot there to believe that she has another run at the title in her.
Then again, Araújo is running out of time to make that kind of run either. At 36 years old, it's fair to wonder how much longer she can fight at a high level. She's currently on a two-fight skid with decision losses to Alexa Grasso and Amanda Ribas.
Neither of the women are elite strikers, but Araújo is the more aggressive grappler. She averages 1.81 takedowns per 15 minutes while Maia is at just 0.27, per UFC Stats.
Araújo is the one who is more likely to control where the fight takes place and come away with a win on points.
Prediction: Araújo via decision
Martinez vs. Yanez
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The Maia vs. Araújo matchup is the co-main event on paper, but Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez is set to be one of the most fan-friendly fights.
Martinez is riding a five-fight win streak. He put on a Performance of the Night in a TKO win over Cub Swanson and most recently beat Said Nurmagomedov in a unanimous decision.
On the other side, Yanez is coming off a loss but has already established himself as an action fighter always worth the price of admission. He came up short against Rob Front in a first-round TKO loss, but was 5-0 in the UFC with five performance bonuses in a row leading up to that.
Font is an accomplished veteran who has been in the cage with the who's who of the division over the years.
It's probably best not to read too much into that loss. This is a matchup of budding prospects and regardless of who wins it's going to be an exciting one.
Prediction: Yanez via second-round TKO
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