Yahoo Sports UFC Fight Night 230: Quick Picks and Prognostications
MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main card for UFC Fight Night 230.
UFC Fight Night 230 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event streams on ESPN+.
Last event’s results: 3-2
Overall picks for UFC main cards in 2023: 101-75-5
Welcome to MMA Junkie’s Quick Picks and Prognostications, where I’ll be giving brief, fight-day breakdowns for UFC main cards.
With that in mind, I hope these write-ups don’t come off as curt or dismissive, as my goal here is to offer quick picks and analysis in a digestible format. All odds listed are provided by FanDuel.
If you’d like more detailed analysis from me, then feel free to check out my weekly show, The Protect Ya’ Neck Podcast.
So, without further ado …
Christian Rodriguez (-156) vs. Cameron Saaiman (+132)
Michel Pereira (-200) vs. Andre Petroski (+168)
Jonathan Martinez (-116) vs. Adrian Yanez (-102)
Jennifer Maia (-158) vs. Viviane Araujo (+134)
The co-main event in Las Vegas features a showdown at women’s flyweight between Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo.
Considering that Araujo has lost three of her last four fights, the UFC brass matching her up with a fellow Brazilian on a winning streak feels somewhat cruel.
Araujo came in with a lot of promise and potential, but she could quietly age out of this division if she can’t put things together. I was hoping that Araujo would turn things around in her last outing opposite Amanda Ribas, but the 36-year-old shockingly displayed even worse durability than her opponent.
For that reason, I can’t help but side with the striking improvements of Maia to shine through in this spot.
Although a decision is the most likely path to victory, I’ll pick Maia to score a shocker by getting it done with strikes in the third round.
Sodiq Yusuff (-178) vs. Edson Barboza (+150)
