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On paper, at least, UFC Fight Night 179: Moraes vs. Sandhagen looked like a two-fight card at best. The show was filled with largely unknown or unproven fighters, and the buzz coming into the show on Fight Island was hardly massive.
Sometimes though, these kind of throwaway UFC cards end up producing brilliance, and that was certainly the case last night. Simply put, this was one of the best UFC shows in recent memory, with some tremendous scraps and even better knockouts up and down the card.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Fight Night 179: Moraes vs. Sandhagen.
#1 Best: Buckley uncorks one of the best KO’s in UFC history
Given that the clip already appears to have gone viral, if you’re an MMA fan, there’s a chance you’ve already seen Joaquin Buckley’s knockout of Impa Kasanganay. If you haven’t, you’re missing out as this was one of the greatest KO’s in UFC history, period.
Essentially, after a back-and-forth opening round, Buckley – who appeared to have a slight speed advantage – threw a head kick at Kasanganay, only for ‘Tshilobo’ to catch it. Somehow though, Buckley responded by jumping into the air and landing an incredible spinning kick to the face with his free leg, sending Kasanganay crashing to the ground.
To be quite honest, we’ve never seen anything like this kick in UFC history. The closest thing to it would be a move that pro-wrestling star Rob Van Dam would use in his WWE days, but even that wasn’t quite the same.
Is Buckley likely to go on to win the UFC Middleweight title? Well, no, but does it really matter? Not only did he win himself an extra $50k last night, but he’ll probably find himself on UFC highlight reels for decades to come. Simply put, this was an unbelievable moment.
#1 Worst: Could the UFC have handed out more bonuses?
Traditionally, the UFC hands out four $50k bonuses on each of their events, either for ‘Fight of the Night,’ ‘Performance of the Night,’ or a combination of the two. Last night, whoever hands out the bonuses – probably UFC president Dana White alongside his matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard – would’ve had a hard job choosing.
In the end, Cory Sandhagen, Tom Breese, Chris Daukaus, and Joaquin Buckley found themselves $50k better off, but that could easily have been different. Tom Aspinall and Dricus du Plessis also scored dramatic and excellent knockouts. Simultaneously, the best fight on offer was the wild, scramble-filled showdown between UFC newcomer Ilia Topuria and Youssef Zalal.
Maybe I’m being unfair, then, but could the UFC not have forked out an extra $200k to give each of those men an extra $50k, too? The UFC’s fighters are arguably underpaid as it is, but a show like this – with so many crazy, entertaining fights and finishes – is rare.
It would’ve been an easy win for the UFC to simply pay a little extra and gain some favor with the fighters and the fans for once. And at $200k, it wouldn’t have even set them back all that much more money. It’s times like this when it’s hard not to be disappointed with the MMA juggernaut.
#2 Best: Sandhagen’s finish of Moraes shows he’s the real deal in the UFC Bantamweight division
The main event last night between UFC Bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen was a tricky one to pick. But in the end, it was ‘The Sandman’ who proved himself to be the far superior fighter. And he did it in style, too.
After using his movement and speed to pick Moraes apart in an exciting first round, Sandhagen uncorked an incredible spinning wheel kick early in the second that caught the Brazilian on the top of the head. Moraes was sent crashing down, and from there, Sandhagen quickly finished him off.
The finish – which handed Sandhagen his sixth UFC win – was reminiscent of Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson’s 2015 KO of Jake Ellenberger, and was truly exceptional.
Post-fight, Sandhagen called out either TJ Dillashaw or Frankie Edgar for a fight, and either one would work. Beat one of them, and it’d be hard not to hand ‘The Sandman’ a crack at the UFC Bantamweight title – even if it’d be hard to sell a rematch between him and Aljamain Sterling after ‘Funk Master’ shellacked him in June.
Either way, even though he somehow didn’t score the best KO of the night, Sandhagen was the biggest winner of UFC Fight Island 5.
#2 Worst: Barboza and Amirkhani struggle to live up to the hype
Perhaps the most highly-anticipated clash on this card – the fight between UFC Featherweight contenders Edson Barboza and Makwan Amirkhani – was arguably the show’s most disappointing, too. That’s not to say it was a bad fight per se, more that everyone going in expected fireworks and didn’t really get them.
For some reason, Amirkhani – who had a reputation for reckless aggression – looked a little gunshy from the off, perhaps wary of Barboza’s power. ‘Mr Finland’ spent the majority of the first round being backed up and throwing feints, and then the second round saw him dropped and hurt badly by the 10-year UFC veteran.
Amirkhani did come back somewhat in the third, securing a takedown, but Barboza’s striking always kept him ahead. And it was no surprise when he got his hand raised when the fight went to the scorecards.
However, considering most observers expected a wild fight full of flying attacks and reckless scrambles, it was hard not to be disappointed a bit. This was a classic example of it being impossible to guess exactly what you’ll get from a UFC fight.
#3 Best: Tybura and Rothwell prove the doubters wrong
To say that many fans weren’t too enthused about seeing the fight between UFC Heavyweight veterans Marcin Tybura and Ben Rothwell would be an understatement. Both men had become renowned over their recent bouts for putting on slow, clinch-filled fights, and there was no reason to suspect this one would be different.
Somehow though, it was. Perhaps inspired by the wild action of the night’s earlier fights, Rothwell came out throwing an insane amount of punches with reckless abandon. Tybura surprisingly obliged him, and the two big men never really slowed down from there.
We got no slow clinching portions in this fight, just amazing striking exchanges, and while Tybura won the fight after taking Rothwell down, it wasn’t like he simply lay on top of him. The Polish fighter beat ‘Big Ben’ down from the top, bloodying him and picking up his third UFC win in a row in the process.
Prior to this, seeing the name of either man on a UFC card probably elicited some shudders from UFC fans. But after this, it’s likely they’ll be looking forward to seeing both men in action again. If we’re honest, they could easily have been given an extra $50k bonus each, too.
