Predictions! UFC Vegas 81 ‘Prelims’ Preview – Pt. 1

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., Oct. 14, 2023) when UFC Vegas 81: “Yusuff vs. Barboza” returns to UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg kicks of the UFC Vegas 81 “Prelims” party with the first installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

After scoring a pair of get-well wins to improve his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) record to 6-2, Featherweight prospect, Sodiq Yusuff, looks to claim his biggest scalp to date when he battles Edson Barboza at UFC Vegas 81 this weekend (Sat., Oct. 14, 2023). UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, will also host a women’s Flyweight clash between Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo, as well as a mouth-watering Bantamweight slugfest pitting Jonathan Martinez against Adrian Yanez.

UFC Vegas 81 features six “Prelims” undercard bouts this time around; here are the first three, dissected for convenience …

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115 lbs.: Ashley Yoder vs. Emily Ducote

Ashley Yoder (8-8) — a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 — struggled her way to an 0-3 UFC start before putting together back-to-back wins. “The Spider Monkey” has since dropped four of five, among them a decision to Jinh Yu Frey in July 2021.

This marks her first bout in over two years, as injury bounced her from a January 2022 clash with Vanessa Demopoulos.

Emily Ducote (12-8) claimed Invicta gold with a gnarly head kick of Danielle Taylor, then stopped Alesha Zappitella in her inaugural defense. She kicked off her UFC campaign with a decision over fellow Invicta vet Jessica Penna, only to lose her next two to Angela Hill and Lupita Godinez.

Her professional finishes are split 3:4 between knockouts and submissions.

Though she hit her ceiling faster than I expected, it’s hard to picture Ducote losing this. Her boxing is in another universe compared to Yoder’s and her takedown defense both skunked Penne and held Godinez, a powerhouse wrestler, to just 13 seconds of control time through three rounds.

Yoder’s strong submission game has always been hamstrung by weak wrestling and striking; she can coast on grit at times, but that’s nowhere near enough to bridge the gap here. Ducote tears her apart on the feet for either a 30-27 or mercy stoppage.

Prediction: Ducote via unanimous decision

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155 lbs.: Terrance McKinney vs. Brendon Marotte

After bursting onto the UFC scene with two finishes in less than 2:30 combined, Terrance McKinney (14-6) found himself in a 1-3 hole. Eager for redemption, he made a one-month turnaround after his most recent defeat and took just 85 seconds to stop Mike Breeden.

All of his professional wins have come inside the distance, eight of them via submission.

Fighting out of the New England Cartel alongside Calvin Kattar and Rob Font, Brendon Marotte (8-1) battled to a 6-1 professional start before spending three years on the sidelines. He’s made up for lost time in 2023 with a pair of finishes, the last of which came less than two months ago.

He steps in for Chris Duncan on six days’ notice.

Combat Zone, where Marotte has spent the bulk of his career, inexplicably decided to stop publishing fight footage at some point. As a result, I can’t speak to Marotte’s current abilities, just what he showed in a January 2020 split decision over Dan Dubuque. Considering how much punishment he took in that fight thanks to leaky defense, I don’t like his chances.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the current Marotte was worlds apart from that version, but I can only work with what I’ve been given, and what I’ve been given suggests pain. Marotte responds poorly to pressure and relies on takedowns to bail him out of danger, habits a heavy-handed wrestler like McKinney should smash straight through. “T. Wrecks” blitzes his way to another quick finish.

Prediction: McKinney via first round technical knockout

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

135 lbs.: Tainara Lisboa vs. Ravena Oliveira

Three consecutive finishes earned Tainara Lisboa (6-2) a 2023 UFC debut against Jessica-Rose Clark. There, “Thai Panther” showed off her versatility by out-classing Clark on the feet before putting her away with a third round rear-naked choke.

She’s knocked out and submitted three opponents apiece.

Ravena Oliveira (7-1-1) put an 0-1-1 pro start behind her to win each of her next seven bouts inside the distance. She ended a 17.5-month layoff with a quick knockout in July 2023, then scored another finish less than 30 days later.

“Kenoudy” replaces Darya Zheleznyakova on around one month’s notice.

The most recent footage I’ve found of Oliveira comes from January 2022, and if what I saw is in any way indicative of her current abilities, she’s toast. Lisboa is by far the faster, cleaner, and more powerful boxer of the two. Though Oliveira does have a functional clinch to lean on if things get ugly, Lisboa’s grappling success against Clark suggests that “Thai Panther” can hold her own there as well.

I’d like to see Lisboa face a high-level grappler before touting her as the next big thing in a talent-starved division, but I can confidently say she’s levels above Oliveira. Rapid-fire punches carry her to a dominant stoppage win.

Prediction: Lisboa via second round technical knockout

Three more UFC Vegas 81 “Prelims” undercard bouts remain to preview and predict, including an undefeated Bantamweight’s UFC debut and the latest from Darren Elkins. Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

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Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 81 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 81: “Yusuff vs. Barboza” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.