With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from October 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for October.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Joaquin Buckley def. Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night 229
Joaquin Buckley (18-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) wasn’t able to put away the durable Alex Morono (23-9 MMA, 12-6 UFC) over the course of three rounds, but he did show he’s arguably his best self when fighting in the welterweight division.
Buckley once again look fast and powerful at 170 pounds, landing a number of big shots and going largely toe-to-toe with Morono. His durability held up alongside that of his opponent, and his offense rewarded him with the decision win on the scorecards.
An absolutely vicious slam to end the round by Joaquin Buckley! 😤#UFCVegas80 pic.twitter.com/aev14LVeUv
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) October 8, 2023
Nominee: Jonathan Martinez def. Adrian Yanez at UFC Fight Night 230
Jonathan Martinez (19-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) now has something in common with Edson Barboza after picking up another TKO victory by leg kicks against Adrian Yanez (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in their bantamweight clash.
Once Martinez figured out the range, he began digging in hard calf kicks to the left leg of Yanez. Midway through the round, he connected with a kick that caused Yanez to stumble around while heavily favoring his limb. It was only a matter of time before another powerful kick connected with the calf, causing Yanez to drop to the canvas. Somehow the fight continued into the second round, but wouldn’t last much longer as he finished the job with more leg kicks
Jonathan Martinez gets another leg kick KO 😳 #UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/40iCerLPi3
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2023
The winner
The winner: Edson Barboza def. Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Fight Night 230
Edson Barboza’s night was almost done in a blink, but the veteran striker was able to pull off a gritty comeback win against a dangerous Sodiq Yusuff.
Yusuff (13-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) nearly finished Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC) in one of the opening exchanges. Experience prevailed though, as Barboza was able to rally back to earn a unanimous decision with scores of 49-46, 48-46, and 48-46.
The two featherweights met in the middle and immediately began throwing down. Yusuff kept his guard high while throwing hard punches as Barboza fired back.
After Barboza just missed the mark with a big jumping knee, Yusuff rocked the Brazilian with a powerful left hook followed by a sharp right hand. Barboza was clearly hurt and in survival mode early within the first minute of the fight.
“Super” Sodiq didn’t rush, but he continually applied more pressure with strikes, eventually taking top control on the mat as Barboza did his best to remain in the fight by threatening submissions from the bottom.
Looking to get back into it, the bruised and bloodied Barboza came out firing strikes to start Round 2. Yusuff remained defensively sound as he resumed his own offense. In the last 90 seconds of the round, Barboza began to mount some momentum as he was able to keep Yusuff close to the fence.
The striking exchanges continued at a steady pace in Round 3 as Barboza began to appear recovered from the first-round scare. Keeping the pressure high, Barboza began getting the better of more and more exchanges. Suddenly out of nowhere, Barboza uncorked a wheel kick that rocked Yusuff. The swarm was on for Barboza, but the finish wasn’t there.
Barboza wobbled Yusuff with a wheel kick 😱#UFCVegas81 pic.twitter.com/LOJY99Z3SF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 15, 2023
In Round 4, fatigue was apparent in both fighters, but that didn’t mean the action slowed. Barboza offered more forward pressure, but Yusuff was right there to return fire with punches and kicks as they exchanged strikes.
Barboza continued pressing the action in the final frame. Not only did he fire first in exchanges, he kept the volume high throughout the round. Barboza also mixed things up with a couple of takedowns and work in the clinch against the cage.
The judges were unanimous in declaring Barboza the winner, as he successfully completed the comeback from an early near finish.
What a performance by @EdsonBarbozaJR 👏
He leaves tonight's #UFCVegas81 main event with the UD victory! pic.twitter.com/EijYIwNeR4
— UFC (@ufc) October 15, 2023
During his post-fight interview, Barboza admitted he was nearly done in the opening round.
“I was very dizzy,” Barboza told Michael Bisping. “I didn’t know if I was in the gym, if I was in my house playing with the kids. I said, ‘What the f*ck is going on?’ Then, OK. I’m back in the fight.”
With the win, Barboza makes it two in a row, as he entered on the heels of a nasty first-round finish of Billy Quarantillo in April.
