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This Saturday, the UFC brought to us another stacked fight card with the UFC Fight Island 5 event that took place at the Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi.
The main event featured a crucial bantamweight scrap between Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen while a featherweight clash between Edson Barboza and Makwan Amirkhani made up the co-main event.
Follow UFC Fight Island 5 results below.
Main Card
Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Moraes via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:03
Edson Barboza def. Makwan Amirkhani via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Marcin Tybura def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Dricus Du Plessis def. Markus Perez via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:22
Tom Aspinall def. Alan Baudot via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:35
Ilia Topuria def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Tom Breese def. KB Bhullar via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:42
Chris Daukaus def. Rodrigo Nascimento via KO (strikes) - Round 1, 0:45
Joaquin Buckley def. Impa Kasanganay via KO (spinning back kick) - Round 2, 2:03
Tony Kelley def. Ali Alqaisi via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Giga Chikadze def. Omar Morales via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tracy Cortez def. Stephanie Egger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Tagir Ulanbekov def. Bruno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Let's quickly glance through the highlights of UFC Fight Island 5
Ilia Topuria def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Highly rated featherweight prospect Ilia Topuria began his career inside the Octagon with a bang, picking up a win in his UFC debut.
Topuria showcased his high-level wrestling in a back and forth encounter with Youssef Zalal before earning a unanimous decision victory with all judges scoring the contest 29-28 in favor of Topuria.
“When you got eight days’ notice, you’ve got to be ready,” Topuria said about his win at UFC Fight Island 5. “I didn’t have the time I would like but it is what it is. He was very tough. I had a very close submission but he’s a tough guy.”
Tom Aspinall def. Alan Baudot via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:35
Tom Aspinall notched up the second win of his UFC career at UFC Fight island 5 in spectacular fashion as he dusted off Alan Baudot with another dominating first-round finish.
Marcin Tybura def. Ben Rothwell via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Marcin Tybura and Ben Rothwell engaged in a heavyweight slugfest on the UFC Fight Island 5 main card tonight.
Surviving an early onslaught from Rothwell, the Polish veteran’s effective striking and steady defense got him the win at the end of the contest. All judges scored the fight 29-27 with Tybura getting the win by unanimous decision.
“I expected him to move forward, to punch a lot,” Tybura said about Rothwell after the win. “I was able to move around a lot and avoid those punches. I wasn’t able to avoid everything but I was faster than him.”
Edson Barboza def. Makwan Amirkhani via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
Edson Barboza finally picked up his first win at the 145 lbs division.
The veteran fighter came away lost his last fight via split decision and was hoping for a change of fortune this time around while facing Makwan Amirkhani in the UFC Fight Island 5 co-main event. Barboza hit Amirkhani with a variety of strikes and scored quite a few knockdowns before earning a unanimous decision with the judges scoring the fight 30-26, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of Barboza.
“I’m very happy,” Barboza said after having his hand raised for the first time in the featherweight division. “I want to be a champ. I’m here to be a champ. I’m ready to be a champ. Give me a top five, top six, I’m ready.”
Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Moraes via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:03
Cory Sandhagen is back on the win column with a spectacular KO victory in what was his first UFC main event tonight at the Yas Islands in Abu Dhabi.
Looking to bounce back from a devastating defeat in his last outing back in June, Cory Sandhagen stepped up on short notice to face former title contender Marlon Moraes at UFC Fight Island 5 and the former put up a clinic in the main event.
In the second round of the five-round main event, Sandhagen unleashed a spectacular spinning heel kick that sent Moraes crashing to the canvas. Sandhagen followed with some ground and pound before the referee stepped in.
