UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza
| Industry | Mixed martial arts promotion |
|---|---|
| Founded | October 14, 2023 |
| Headquarters | Enterprise, Nevada , United States |
| Products | Mixed martial arts events |
UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza—also identified as UFC Fight Night 230, UFC on ESPN+ 88, and UFC Vegas 81, was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 14, 2023. The event took place at the UFC Apex facility located in Enterprise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas metropolitan region.
Background
The main event featured a featherweight clash between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza. This fight had been arranged previously for October 2020 but was canceled after Yusuff pulled out.
A bantamweight matchup between Cameron Saaiman and Christian Rodriguez occurred; this bout was initially planned for UFC 290 but postponed due to an injury sustained by Rodriguez. At the official weigh-ins, Rodriguez came in four pounds over the limit, converting the contest into a catchweight bout and incurring a penalty paid to Saaiman.
In the women's bantamweight division, Tainara Lisboa faced Ravena Oliveira, who stepped in after Darya Zheleznyakova withdrew for undisclosed reasons.
A scheduled flyweight bout between Tatsuro Taira and David Dvořák was called off due to reasons not publicly disclosed.
For the middleweight category, Michel Pereira was set to fight Marc-André Barriault, but Barriault withdrew because of medical concerns and was replaced by Andre Petroski.
Lightweight competitor Terrance McKinney met promotional debutant Brendon Marotte after Chris Duncan pulled out due to visa issues.
A flyweight rematch featuring Edgar Chairez and Daniel Lacerda, arranged following a contentious no contest outcome, was canceled when Lacerda encountered medical problems.
Bonus awards
Monetary bonuses of $50,000 were awarded as follows:
- Fight of the Night: Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff
- Performance of the Night: Jonathan Martinez and Michel Pereira
Aftermath
On July 19, 2024, the UFC disclosed that Irina Alekseeva tested positive for externally sourced testosterone in April. Due to delayed communication from USADA, neither Alekseeva nor the UFC were informed prior to the event, allowing her participation. Later tests returned negative results; nonetheless, CSAD imposed a suspension lasting 12 months, effective through October 15, 2024.