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UFC Fight Island: Moraes vs Sandhagen - Oct 10th šŸ‡¦šŸ‡Ŗ šŸ


wandshogun09

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Saturday 10th October. Fight Island.

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Marlon Moraes vs Cory Sandhagen

Edson Barboza vs Makwan AmirkhaniĀ 

Ben Rothwell vs Marcin Tybura

Markus Perez vs Dricus Du Plessis

Tom Aspinall vs Alan Baudot

Youssef Zalal vs Ilia TopuriaĀ 

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Tom Breese vs KB Bhullar

Rodrigo Nascimento vs Chris Daukaus

Impa Kasanganay vs Joaquin Buckley

Ali Alqaisi vs Tony KelleyĀ 

Giga Chikadze vs Omar Morales

Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger

Bruno Silva vs Tagir Ulanbekov

Ā 

Thatā€™s probablyĀ not the official bout order and, letā€™s face it, half of this probably wonā€™t even end up happening. But weā€™ll roll with it and keep theĀ glass half full vibes. If this mostly stays intact (yeah, I know), I think itā€™s a tremendous card. Way better than that Holm vs Aldana one the week before.Ā 

Ā 

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Marlon Moraes vs Cory SandhagenĀ tops the bill. Now weā€™re talking! Love this fight. Both guys have kind of been in no manā€™s land recently. Moraes won that close decision over Jose Aldo in December but got treated like he lost. And Sandhagen was on a strong 7 fight win streak but got steamrolled in 90 seconds by Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250 in June. So theyā€™re both kind of frozen out of the title race in different ways for the time being. A convincing win for either here, especially a finish, would catapult them right back into that conversation fast. Moraes should be in the mix anyway. However you scored the Aldo fight, itā€™s gone down as a win for Moraes. I had him winning myself. And aside from the loss to Cejudo, heā€™s been on fire in the UFC. Really looking forward to this one. Both beasts but in different ways. Moraes will just try to blast your head off with power strikes. Sandhagen will usually go the more technical route but is tough as old boots and pretty slick on the ground despite the quick submission loss to Aljo. Iā€™m actually hoping this goes into the ā€˜championship roundsā€™ just to see how it plays out. Should be a corker whatever happens. Iā€™m a fan of both but Iā€™d like to see Moraes win. Yan vs Moraes is a bit of a dream match for me.

Ā 

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Edson Barboza vs Makwan Amirkhani isĀ ***WANDā€™S ONE TO WATCH*** this time. CrackingĀ fight. Was supposed to be Barboza vs Sodiq Yusuff, which I liked even better, but Yusuff couldnā€™t make it due to visa issues. Apparently, Yusuffā€™s side tried to keep the fight on and just delay it a few weeks but I guess Barboza didnā€™t want to wait. Havenā€™t seen Amirkhani confirmed by the UFC as the replacement yet but Combate is reporting it so thatā€™s good enough for me.Ā I really likeĀ this pairing. We know the score with Barboza. Beast striker. Pound-for-pound maybe the best kicker in the sport. This still might be the greatest knockout in MMA history...

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Itā€™s either that or Zombie vs Yair for me. His flying knee against Beneil Dariush is up there as well. Heā€™s faltered against the elite like Khabib, Ferguson and Gaethje but heā€™s always going to be a popular fighter just because heā€™s so exciting to watch. Badly needs a win now though. Heā€™s 1-5 in his last 6. Heā€™s had a fairly brutal run of opponents, in fairness to him, but itā€™s still not a good look. He dropped to Featherweight in May and lost a razor close decision to Dan Ige. He looked good though and most people seemed to think he shouldā€™ve got the nod from the judges.

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Amirkhani is Finnish-Iranian but has trained out of SBG in Ireland. Not sure if heā€™s still affiliated with them. Heā€™s 16-4 with nearly all his wins coming via submission. HisĀ one knockout victory came in his UFC debut when he took out Andy Ogle with a spectacular flying knee in just 8 seconds! Really like Amirkhani. He looked every bit of a legit potential breakout star after that KO in his debut. The way the fight went plus his likeable personality in the post-fight media, there was genuine buzz around him but it didnā€™t last. Injuries piled up and he fought very sporadically between 2016 and 2018. Heā€™s coming into this fight off a sweet anaconda choke finish over Danny Henry in July. If he canā€™t get Barboza down I think this is going to get ugly for Amirkhani. Heā€™s not aĀ bad striker himself but I think he takes a beating in a striking match with Barboza. On the ground Iā€™d give him the edge though.Ā Good fight. Wouldā€™ve preferred Barboza vs Yusuff but thisā€™ll do. Hopefully with the winner facing Yusuff before 2020 is done.

Ā 

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Ben Rothwell vs Marcin Tybura isnā€™t getting my nips erect, to be totally honest. Not the worst fighters on the roster by any stretch but theyā€™re just two big lugs really. Rothwell turns 39 a week after this fight. He was never in the title race but people forget he wasnā€™t far off a few years ago. This is a man who holds a knockout over Alistair Overeem and a submission over Josh Barnett, for fuckā€™s sake. But he got had by USADA in 2016 and heā€™s gone 2-3 since. Beat Stefan Struve and OSP in his last 2 fights though. The ā€˜streakā€™ begins. Heā€™s not bad ā€˜Big Benā€™. I actually really enjoyed his ugly scrap with Arlovski in their rematch not too long ago. He can still go when he has to. Tybura is 34 with a respectable record of 19-6. Wins over Arlovski and Struve and just beat Sergey Spivak and Maxim Grishin. Itā€™s not that bad a fight. Iā€™m probably being harsh. I just canā€™t envision anything other than a lumbering, sweaty, uncoordinated mess here. But enough about the Prime Minister.
Ā 

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Markus Perez vs Dricus Du Plessis.Ā OK, change of plan here. This was originally supposed to be Perez vs BJJ gorilla Rodolfo Vieira but Vieira has pulled out injured. In steps Octagon newcomer Dricus Du Plessis. A 26 year old South African with a record of 14-2 and all his wins (and losses) being finishes. Not familiar with him but apparently heā€™s supposed to be a bit of a prospect. He was the KSW Welterweight champion and was also a double champ (170 & 185)Ā for the EFC promotion in Africa.

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That said, nearly all of his opposition have been unknowns and he got knocked out a couple of fightsĀ ago. Still, doesnā€™t seem a bad signing. He sounds exciting if nothing else.Ā Perez isĀ 12-3 and a former LFA Middleweight champ. Heā€™s lost a few recently but also has victories over the likes of Ian Heinisch and ex UFC fighter Paulo Thiago who I completely forgot existed. Perez isnā€™t going to be a problem for any of the top boys at 185 but heā€™s decent, crafty and has some tricks up his sleeve. Heā€™s certainly a decent test on paper for a debuting guy like Du Plessis.

Ā 

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Tom Aspinall vs Alan Baudot. Another late switch up. Aspinall was all set to face Sergey Spivak but Spivakā€™s out so here we are. Fucking Clubber Langā€™s stepped in.Ā On paper it looks like aĀ decent battle of up and coming Heavyweights. Often we see these HW fights bookedĀ between new guys and roll our eyes. But these are two who actually look like they might potentially go on to be something more than the fat brawlers who get released after going 1-4 and never get above the prelims. Aspinall is 27 from Wigan and fights out of Team Kaobon. Heā€™s 8-2, all his wins have been finishes and it took him just 45 seconds to TKO Jake Collier in his UFC debut in July. Baudot is 32 years old out of Lyon, France. Heā€™s 8-1 with 7 knockouts, 5 inside a round. So yeah, amongst the sea of shite, there are some newĀ Heavyweights who actually show some promise. I pity the fool who doesnā€™t recognise that.Ā 

Ā 

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Youssef Zalal vs Ilia Topuria.Ā Not massively familiar with these two but the little bit Iā€™ve seen of Zalal heā€™s looked fun. Heā€™s 24, 10-2 with 7 finishes and nicknamed ā€˜The Moroccan Devilā€™. Doesnā€™t fuck about either. Only made his UFC debut in February and heā€™s 3-0 in the Octagon already. I didnā€™t see his last fight but I love thisĀ picture which surfaced from it;

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Now thatā€™s a man who thoroughly enjoysĀ his job right there. Never heard of Topuria. Heā€™s jumping in to replace Seung Woo Choi here. Looking him up though, he sounds like a good signing. Heā€™s Georgian, 23 years old and has a perfect record of 8-0 with 7 finishes, and only one has gone past a round. Hasnā€™t beat anyone youā€™d know yet so,Ā as always, take his undefeated streak with a pinch of salt for now. But itā€™s always a good start. And even if they were all bums, heā€™s disposed of them as such. Canā€™t really ask for more than that. Weā€™ll soon find out if heā€™s legit.Ā 

Ā 

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Tom Breese vs KB Bhullar. This has been moved from the Holm vs Aldana card for some reason. Iā€™m guessing because Bhullar is a late replacement and mightā€™ve needed an extra week for the weight cut or whatever.Ā Brummie Breese at one point was considered one of the better British prospects in MMA. In early 2016 he was 24 years old and 10-0 with 9 finishes. Heā€™d been training under Firas Zahabi at Tristar, was a standout grappler and had battered McGregor teammate and UKFF favourite Cathal Pendred early into his UFC run. The sky seemed to be the limit. Then he lost to Sean Strickland and started racking up injuries at an alarming rate. To the point heā€™s only fought twice in the last 4 years. He last fought in February and got bashed by Brendan Allen in a round. Bhullar is filling in for Roman Kopylov who dropped out. Heā€™s Canadian-Indian, 28 years old and heā€™s currently 8-0 with 6 finishes. He beat Matt Dwyer in his last fight, an exĀ UFC fighter who I only remember for his absolute corker with Alan Jouban years ago. Bhullar was scheduled to fight on DWCS but obviously thatā€™s off now and heā€™s straight in the UFC. Sounds like someone worth taking a look at. MyĀ confidence in Breese turning things around is flagging at this point.

Ā 

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Rodrigo Nascimento vs Chris Daukaus. What was I saying about Heavyweight prospects? Hereā€™s a couple more. Nascimento is one Iā€™ve been impressed by so far. Trains at American Top Team, think he was on Danaā€™s Contender Series and heā€™s 8-0 with 8 finishes. Made his Octagon debut in May and subbed Donā€™Tale Mayes without much bother. Only 27 as well, which in Heavyweight years is a baby. Daukaus was also on DWCS. Heā€™s 30 with a record of 9-3, 8 by knockout, 6 inside a round. Made his UFC debut on the Miocic vs Cormier 3 prelims in August and battered Parker Porter in a round. On paper it looks like submission artist vs KO artist but weā€™ll see what happens.

Ā 

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Impa KasanganayĀ vs Joaquin Buckley.Ā Right then. More pullouts. Abu Azaitar (older brother of Ottman) was supposed to fight Buckley hereĀ but heā€™s out. Again. Kasanganay has stepped up in his place. Heā€™s 26 years old out of Charlotte, North Carolina (WOOOOH!) and heā€™s unbeaten so far at 8-0. He beat Maki Pitolo on points in his UFC debut in August and lookedĀ really sharp despite also jumping into that one on late notice.Ā Buckley is 10-3 with 7 knockouts. He jumped into his UFC debut on very late notice against Kevin Holland on the Aug 8th Fight Night and got stopped in the third round. But I thought he gave a real solid account of himself and Iā€™m looking forward to seeing him again with a little bit more prep time.

Ā 

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Ali Alqaisi vs Tony Kelley.Ā Not a clue. Theyā€™ve both fought in the UFC but I didnā€™t see either of them. Alqaisi is 29 years old with a 8-4 MMA record. Background in Kung Fu and Sanda apparently. Made his UFC debut on the Aug 8th card and lost a split decision against Irwin Rivera. Kelley is 5-2 and fights out of Team Alpha Male in California. Debuted on the UFC 252 prelims and lost on points. Nothing to add. No fucks given.

Ā 

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Giga Chikadze vs Omar Morales.Ā Another pretty good piece of matchmaking. Chikadze is a Kickboxer (38-6 record) and former GLORY fighter. In MMA heā€™s 10-2 and on a nice little 5 fight streak. Hasnā€™t looked devastating so far but I like him. Watched some clips of his GLORY fights and heā€™s definitely got some good scraps in him if heā€™s matched with the right opponents. Loves a body kick stoppage as well, old Giga. Morales Iā€™m less familiar with. Heā€™s fought twice in the UFC, winning both on points. I saw his debut but canā€™t really remember much. Sounds quite promising though. 10-0 with 7 finishes. Canā€™t ask for much more can you?

Ā 

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Tracy Cortez vs Stephanie Egger.Ā I dunno. Itā€™s yet another late change as Cortezā€™s original opponent Bea Malecki dropped out with about a week to go.Ā Cortez looks good, in more ways than one. Sheā€™s 26 years old with a 7-1 record. Fought in Invicta, then got noticed on Danaā€™s Contender bollocks, then beat Vanessa Melo in her UFC debut in November. Sad backstory as well. She got into MMA as a teenager because her older brother was in it. He lost a split decision to Drew Fickett in 2008 and that got her hooked. But it turned out to be his final MMA fight as he became sick and was eventually diagnosed with cancer. He died in 2011. I know nothing about Stephanie Egger. A quick search on Sherdog tells me sheā€™s from Switzerland, 32 and 5-1 in MMA so far. Sheā€™s got a 2015 TKO win over current UFC fighter Mara Romero Borella on her record for whatever thatā€™s worth.Ā 

Ā 

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Bruno Silva vs Tagir Ulanbekov.Ā Again, not up on either guy enough to give a proper analysis. Iā€™ve seen Silva before. Heā€™s 30 with aĀ 10-4-2-1Ā record. Trained with the Pitbull brothers, donā€™t know if he still does. Hasnā€™t beat anyone particularly good and heā€™s coming off a loss and a No Contest in his last couple of fights. Ulanbekov is one of Khabibā€™s teammates and a student of the late Abdulmanap. Heā€™s got a 10-1 record with 6 finishes and was the Flyweight champion in a promotion called GFC in Russia. Like most of the Dagestani crew, his main strength seems to be his grappling.

Ā 

Quality. Especially for a Fight Night. IF it stays in one piece. Which it wonā€™t. Lick my balls 2020.Ā 

Edited by wandshogun09
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Get the fuck out. Edson BarbozaĀ vs Sodiq Yusuff and Markus Perez vs Rodolfo Vieira are both off. Yusuff and Vieira are out.

As far as I know the UFC are looking for replacements to fightĀ Barboza and Perez. Read some stuff about Makwan Amirkhani being lined up for Barboza. And Perez, erm...

Appropriate face paint. He must be joking.Ā 

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Updated the OP with the latest.

ā€¢ Combate in Brazil are reporting that Makwan Amirkhani is stepping in against Barboza after Sodiq Yusuff pulled out.Ā 

ā€¢ South African UFC newcomer Dricus Du Plessis replaces Rodolfo Vieira against Markus Perez.

ā€¢ Impa Kasanganay in against Joaquin Buckley, filling in for Abu Azaitar.

Disappointed with all 3 of those original fights falling out but theyā€™ve done a good job with the substitutes there, in fairness.Ā 

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Updated for the changes. Again. Aspinall vs Mr T as above. Bea Malecki pulled out soĀ Tracy Cortez is now fighting some fucker calledĀ Stephanie Egger. Oh and Alejandro Perez is out. Theyā€™re looking for a replacement for Almeida as far as I know. Shitā€™s exhausting.

One change which caught my eyeĀ though, Ilia Topuria is making his debut against Youssef Zalal. Iā€™ve previewed the fight in the opening post but he looks like a solid signing. Unbeaten, all finishes, fought in Brave FC most recently. Sounds like a bit of a handful.Ā 

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I thought that myself @CarbombĀ but I havenā€™t seen any mention of it.

Really up for this card tonight. I think itā€™s getting slept on.Ā There seemed to beĀ more talk about the Holm vs Aldana card last week and howĀ shit it looked than this little beauty. MMA fans love a bit of negativity donā€™t we? This looks quality though. Moraes vs Sandhagen might just be the best least talked about fightĀ so farĀ this year. Criminally overlooked. Barboza vs Amirkhani should be all kinds of fun as well. Then youā€™ve got a couple ofĀ Heavyweight prospects in Aspinall and Nascimento. Not to mention Mr Fucking T! Looking forward to KasanganayĀ vs Buckley too, was impressed by both in their debuts despite Buckley coming up short. And finally, the debuts of Du Plessis, Topuria and Bhullar are legit. These arenā€™t just the usual random newcomers. They all sound like theyā€™ve got something about them. TopuriaĀ and Bhullar especially. Itā€™s a very, very strong Fight Night card pretty much top to bottom.Ā 

Edited by wandshogun09
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I'm with you Wand, I will be watching the prelims on BT Sport followed by the main card. The only fight that I don't feel invested in on the main card is theĀ Youssef Zalal vs Ilia TopuriaĀ fight. I'm not familiar with either two guys.

On the prelims I am excited to see Kasanganay and I'm hoping he wins. I feel very invested in all of the DWCS guys from this season that I really want them to succeed. Buckley looked strong against a far more experienced Holland so even though he is coming in with a loss he's definitely a high level opponent.

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