The main event from UFC Fight Night 230 (or UFC Vegas 81 as it’s also known) is a featherweight contest between Sodiq Yusuff (-162) and Edson Barboza (+142). The younger Yusuff is the favorite to get the better of the veteran Barboza. But as recent events in the Octagon have taught us, nothing can be taken for granted in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Here we tell you what the best bets to make are in our latest UFC betting picks.
This is the third consecutive week the UFC Apex in Vegas has been the venue, and if the card is anywhere near as exciting as the previous two weeks, we are in for another cracking night’s entertainment.
Last weekend we witnessed a huge shock when Bobby Green knocked out Grant Dawson after just 33 seconds.
This is just one of the reasons why the UFC is so popular. Green wasn’t given a chance to beat Dawson, but he won emphatically. The differing styles make the fights, and this weekend’s card looks no different.
Last week, Dawson was a massive odds-on favorite at -445 to win the fight. This weekend, the betting odds are far closer in the main event between Yusuff and Barboza, as they also are in the women’s main event, a flyweight bout between Jennifer Maia and Viviane.
The latest UFC Vegas betting odds for the main card for Fight Night 230 can be seen below on our UFC betting table. Our odds are from the best sites for MMA betting.
| Main Card |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodiq Yusuff | -162 | -162 | -162 |
| Edson Barboza | +142 | +142 | +142 |
| Jennifer Maia | -151 | -151 | -151 |
| Viviane Araujo | +131 | +131 | +131 |
| Jonathan Martinez | -126 | -126 | -126 |
| Adrian Yanez | +106 | +106 | +106 |
| Michel Pereira | -185 | -185 | -185 |
| Andre Petroski | +160 | +160 | +160 |
| Edgar Cháirez | -365 | -365 | -365 |
| Daniel Lacerda | +300 | +300 | +300 |
| Cameron Saaiman | +125 | +125 | +125 |
| Christian Rodriguez | -145 | -145 | -145 |
Sodiq Yusuff has a 13-2 record in MMA. He is No. 11 in the UFC featherweight rankings, but he comes into this matchup rusty, as he hasn’t fought in the Octagon for 12 months.
His last outing was impressive, forcing Don Shainis to submit after 30 seconds. Shainis – a late replacement for original opponent Giga Chikadze – wasn’t in the same class as either fighter, and the contest was a bit of a mismatch.
Edson Barboza is a former lightweight who switched to featherweight three years ago. The drop-down in weight hasn’t been a resounding success as he is 3-3 in the 145-pound category, compared to an overall MMA record of 23-11.
His record suggests journeyman, but in his last bout, he won the Performance of the Night award after KO-ing Billy Quarantillo with a knee in April of this year. This was a much-needed victory after suffering two losses in his previous two bouts.
Both fighters are outside the top ten in the UFC featherweight rankings. Yusuff is ranked 11, and Barboza is 13.
The fight was scheduled for October 2020, but Yusuff pulled out for undisclosed reasons. When they do finally get it on this Saturday, 30-year-old Yusuff has youth on his side when he takes on the veteran 37-year-old Barboza.
The best UFC betting sites are siding with youth, as they have Sodiq Yusuff at -162 to win on the money line, with Edson Barboza, the +142 betting underdog.
In the method of victory betting, Sodiq Yusuff is +250 to win by KO, TKO, or DQ. A win on points for Yusuff is +265, and a win by submission is +500.
Edson Barboza’s method of victory odds sees him at just +190 to win by KO/TKO or DQ. For a points victory, the veteran is +650. While by submission, Barboza is a huge-looking +2500.
A tie is +6600. And in the betting to go the distance, no is -250, and yes +195.
As the odds suggest, the fight doesn’t look set to go the distance, and a knockout looks like the most likely outcome to end the fight.
Yusuff has never gone five rounds before, and his fitness may come under scrutiny if this fight goes the distance. He is also an inexperienced fighter for a 30-year-old, with his breaks from the Octagon possibly holding his career back.
Barboza is probably the better striker, both with feet and fists. Yusuff is a more than capable striker but tends to be more of a technical close-up fighter. That might be the tactic the younger betting favorite employs to counter Barboza’s outrageous kicking ability.
If Barboza can use his leg kicks to keep Yusuff at bay, he can fight the contest on his terms. He is a veteran of the sport and is up against a younger fighter, who it has to be said, is still finding his way in the UFC.
When you weigh up all the pros and cons of both fighters and throw the betting odds into the mix, the bet has to be on Edson Barboza to win.
The veteran is +190 to win by KO/TKO or DQ and is +142 to win by any method. Either bet works. But we are going with the better odds and make Barboza our pick to win by KO/TKO or DQ.
See below the best Las Vegas sportsbooks, where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
