UFC Fight Night 230 Results: Barboza Still Has It

The UFC Fight Night 230 results are in and we've got a lot to unpack from this electric event. Yesterday had a lot to offer combat sports fans around the world; a lot of boxing and a great UFC card kept us entertained all day, and one of the best performances of all the action was Edson Barboza keeping father time at a distance still.

Sodiq Yusuff grew up watching Barboza build his highlight reel. Now, both Yusuff and Barboza will be a part of the other's fight footage. This main event was quite a scrap that had either party just a few strikes away from a finish. The marquee bout was great, but the rest of the card deserves some love as well. Let's get into these results and highlight UFC Fight Night 230.

UFC Fight Night 230 Results: Edson Barboza is Still a Problem

Apr 15, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Edson Barboza (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Billy Quarantillo (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Edson Barboza walked in as an underdog and walked out as a winner. The oddsmakers were one to something, though. Prior, Yusuff's only UFC loss was to Arnold Allen, who very well could have a title in his future. Barboza weathered a heavy storm in the opening minutes of the fight; Sodiq came out guns blazing and even had some of the commentating team talking about a 10-7 round.

Having to lean on his durability a bit more than he probably would've liked, Barboza endured a vicious beating but ultimately came out on top. The hooks to the body slowed down Yusuff and, of course, we got to see that patented wheel kick. With both fighters scoring huge knockdowns, this is a main event that's well-worth watching back.

Barboza got the nod here via unanimous decision. The scorecards favored the Brazilian and we should see him right around the number 10 spot in the featherweight rankings following this gritty performance.

Viviane Araujo Defeats Jennifer Maia

May 15, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Kaitlyn Chookagian defends against Viviane Araujo during UFC 262 at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
By Icon Sport

To snap a two-fight losing streak, Araujo defeated Jennifer Maia by the judges' scorecards. This was a good scrap, though the controversy is all over social media calling this fight a robbery. We've seen robberies in the UFC, and this is not one; a close fight does not constitute the robbery claims.

Either way, this was a good scrap to see who would be moving forward in the division. Viviane will find herself up in the ranks, drawing closer to the chance to exact revenge against the current champion, Alexa Grasso.

UFC Fight Night 230 Results: Jonathan Martinez Finishes Adrian Yanez

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 13: (L-R) Opponents Jonathan Martinez and Adrian Yanez face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on October 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

We all knew this was going to be a banger, but a one-sided one? This fight had all the ingredients to be a Fight of the Year candidate, but instead, we got a masterclass in composure and calf kicks from Jonathan Martinez. Yanez is still one of the best strikers in the division, but this and his previous performance were exploitations of his two, seemingly only, flaws in his game — he eats too many jabs and he adapts just a tad too late.

Martinez is one of the best strikers in the division as well. His performances are always exciting and he continues to show that, at 29-years-young, he's improving in incredible strides; that's good news for the fans but bad news for ranked bantamweights. Martinez didn't just earn a number by his name with this performance, but he deserves a big fight next.

Taking on and beating Adrian Yanez and Said Nurmagomedov back to back is deserving of so much praise. Those are two of the division's dark horses, and for that, the UFC should award Martinez a big name and/or a small number in the rankings next.

Michel Pereira Debuts at Middleweight Perfectly

Jan 22, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Michel Pereira (red gloves) competes against Andre Fialho (blue gloves) during UFC 270 at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Pereira was forced to move up to middleweight after a failed cut to 170lbs in his last scheduled bout led to the cancellation of him vs Stephen Thompson, which would have, without a doubt, been an instant classic. Though the original opponent fell through for this event, Andre Petroski stepped in on short-notice and risked his winning streak.

Petroski's last fight was a fun one, but we saw that he has a lot of work to do in the striking department. Striking is the bread and butter of Pereira and we saw him expose Petroski rather quickly. It took just 66-seconds for Michel to make a statement in his new weight class.

Christian Rodriguez Hands Cameron Saaiman His First Loss

Once again, we see a great performance from Rodriguez that has an asterisk next to it. He tipped the scaled a bit heavy. Though Saaiman did earn 25% of Rodriguez's purse for the weight miss and still taking the fight, we're sure that the win would've been a bit sweeter. This was an action-lacked fight that really showed that this generation of fighter knows how to mix the martial arts.

Great grappling exchanges and exciting striking, we were spoiled with this fight and this card as a whole. Rodriguez, should he be able to make weight and truly be a bantamweight, is a fighter to keep an eye on.