Edson Barboza rallies from early scare to earn nod over Sodiq Yusuff

Edson Barboza amazed the crowd with his incredible comeback victory over the formidable Sodiq Yusuff in a UFC Fight Night 230 main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Yusuff, with his explosive start, almost finished Barboza in the opening moments of the fight. However, Barboza’s experience and determination enabled him to regroup and secure a unanimous decision win, with scores of 49-46, 48-46, and 48-46.

The two featherweights engaged in an intense exchange of strikes right from the beginning. Yusuff displayed powerful punches while maintaining a solid defense, while Barboza retaliated fiercely.

After narrowly missing a massive jumping knee, Barboza was rocked by Yusuff’s left hook and right hand combination, leaving him visibly hurt and in survival mode early on.

Yusuff maintained pressure and control, eventually gaining top position on the ground, while Barboza defended himself by threatening submissions from the bottom.

In the second round, the bruised and bloodied Barboza displayed immense courage as he launched a series of strikes, gradually shifting the momentum in his favor. Late in the round, he managed to keep Yusuff near the fence.

The intense striking exchanges continued in the third round as Barboza showed signs of recovery. With sustained pressure, Barboza started dominating most of the exchanges. And out of nowhere, he unleashed a devastating wheel kick that shook Yusuff, but couldn’t secure the finish.

Both fighters showed signs of fatigue in the fourth round, but the action didn’t slow down. Barboza pressed forward, and Yusuff responded with his own striking. They engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth battle.

Barboza continued to dictate the pace in the final round. He initiated exchanges and maintained a high volume of strikes. Barboza also mixed up his attacks with takedowns and clinch work against the cage.

The judges unanimously declared Barboza as the winner, completing his remarkable comeback after surviving an early scare.

In his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Barboza revealed that he was severely disoriented in the opening round but managed to regain his focus and composure.

With this victory, Barboza extended his winning streak to two, following his previous first-round finish of Billy Quarantillo in April.

The complete UFC Fight Night 230 results are as follows:

• Edson Barboza def. Sodiq Yusuff via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46)

• Viviane Araujo def. Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

• Jonathan Martinez def. Adrian Yanez via TKO (leg kicks) – Round 2, 2:26

• Michel Pereira def. Andre Petroski via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:06

• Christian Rodriguez def. Cameron Saaiman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

• Darren Elkins def. TJ Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:23

• Tainara Lisboa def. Ravena Oliveira via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

• Terrance McKinney def. Brendon Marotte via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:20

• Melissa Dixon def. Irina Alekseeva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

• Chris Gutierrez def. Heili Alateng via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

• Emily Ducote def. Ashley Yoder via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

For more information on the event, visit MMA Junkie’s UFC Fight Night 230 event hub.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie