Author: Chandra Moulee Das
The UFC Vegas 81 Fight Night event took place on Saturday night (October 14) at the Apex Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main attraction of the event was the clash between featherweights Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. During the official weigh-in on Friday, Yusuff weighed 66 kg, while Barboza weighed 66.2 kg.
In addition, the co-main event featured Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo in a women’s flyweight fight. Maia weighed 56.7 kg, while Araujo weighed 57.1 kg.
Featherweight fight: Sodiq Yusuff (NIGERIA) – Edson BARBOZA (BRAZIL)
In the main event of UFC Fight Night, Barboza faced a formidable challenge from Yusuff. Barboza weathered an initial storm with Yusuff unleashing a series of powerful blows in the opening exchange. Despite being on the verge of a possible finish, Yusuff’s fall allowed Barboza to regain his composure. Two judges gave Yusuff a score of 10-8 in the round.
Barboza gained momentum in the second round, reducing the competitive edge. The third round witnessed a crucial moment, when Barboza executed a characteristic spinning kick that severely shook Yusuff. However, Barboza was unable to capitalize, attempting a D’arce choke as time ran out. The judges favored Barboza in the following rounds, resulting in scores of 48-46, 48-46 and 49-46 in favor of the experienced veteran.
Middleweight fight: Andre Petroski (USA) vs. Michel PEREIRA (BRAZIL)
No better way to introduce yourself to the middleweight division 🤯@UFCPereira gets the finish in round one! #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/iVnhR3NtIx
– UFC (@ufc) October 14, 2023
After a 17-month hiatus, Michel Pereira was scheduled to face Marc-André Barriault at UFC Fight Night. However, Barriault withdrew due to medical reasons, which led to his replacement by Andre Petroski. Pereira secured victory in the first round with a technical knockout.
Michel Pereira made quick work of Andre Petroski at UFC Fight Night 230, knocking him down with a powerful punch early in the fight and securing a technical knockout in just over a minute.
Flyweight fight: Edgar Chairez (Mexico) vs. Daniel LACERDA (BRAZIL)
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The scheduled rematch between Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda was canceled after the weigh-in due to an undisclosed medical problem unrelated to Lacerda’s weight. The pair had previously faced each other at the Noche UFC event in September. However, the fight between the flyweights was ruled a no contest due to a refereeing error.
In the first round of the fight, referee Chris Tognoni mistakenly believed that Lacerda had been choked unconscious by Chairez’s guillotine and stopped the fight prematurely. The 27-year-old Brazilian promptly challenged the decision and, on reviewing the video footage, the referees confirmed Tognoni’s error, with the fight officially being declared a no contest.