Preview: UFC Fight Night 230 ‘Yusuff vs. Barboza’

Middleweights

Michel Pereira (28-11, 6-2 UFC) vs. Andre Petroski (10-1, 5-0 UFC)

ODDS: Pereira (-180), Petroski (+150)

A fascinating fight takes place here between two men looking to continue building on recent improvements. Pereira was a well-regarded welterweight signing by the UFC in 2019, mostly due to the potential entertainment value than anything else. One of the most explosive athletes in the sport, Brazil’s “Demolidor” had a middling regional record thanks to his preference for flashy and inefficient offense over a more consistently winning style. The highs and the lows of Pereira’s game were well on display in his first few UFC fights. After running through Danny Roberts in highlight-reel fashion, Pereira lost to natural featherweight Tristan Connelly—despite managing to jump over Connelly with a flying knee early in the fight—and then got himself disqualified against Diego Sanchez. Since then, Pereira has either impressed or disappointed greatly, depending on your perspective. He has cut out a lot of the things that made him a truly unique viewing experience, but he has rattled off five straight wins leaning on a movement-heavy style that has allowed him to use his speed and outmaneuver his opponents. There are still some moments of flash, and Pereira does usually wind up tired by the end of his fights, but it worked well enough that he earned a big shot against Stephen Thompson in July—only to miss weight so badly that he is being forced to move to middleweight, where he takes on the surging Petroski.

Petroski was an interesting but frustrating prospect on the regional scene, as his game seemed to be less than the sum of its parts. He was clearly a standout wrestler and grappler, but he would struggle more than expected against opponents who refused to let him play the bully. Even Petroski’s first two UFC wins were a bit concerning, as Micheal Gillmore and Yaozong Hu provided little resistance yet still hung around until the third round. However, the Pennsylvanian has finally turned a corner in his recent performances. A win over Nick Maximov saw Petroski finally show off his standout grappling chops, and he has fought well through exhaustion to pick up wins over Wellington Turman and Gerald Meerschaert. Petroski steps in on late notice here, and this is a hard fight to parse. Most of Pereira’s recent bouts have been against fellow strikers, while Petroski has mostly been matched against fellow wrestlers and grapplers. There is a chance that Petroski is a dogged enough wrestler to take Pereira out of his game in a way that previous opponents have not, but he might have to thread the needle to get a win. He will have to track Pereira down, and given the late notice and his own historical cardio issues, he might not have the gas tank to grind out a three-round victory over such an explosive athlete. It is a compelling matchup, but the Brazilian gets the nod. The pick is Pereira via decision.

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Yusuff vs. Barboza
Maia vs. Araujo
Martinez vs. Yanez
Pereira vs. Petroski
Chairez vs. da Silva
Rodriguez vs. Saaiman
The Prelims