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UFC Fight Island 5 went down last night (Sat., Oct. 10, 2020) inside Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abud Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In the main event of the evening, Cory Sandhagen upset Marlon Moraes with a spinning heel kick knockout victory (see it again here). In the co-headlining act, Edson Barboza got back in the win column by outclassing Makwan Amirkhani. And of course, Joaquin Buckley’s delivered and unforgettable knockout of the decade candidate over Impa Kasanganay (see it again here).
Winner: Cory Sandhagen
Who He Should Fight Next: Frankie Edgar
Aljamain Sterling should be getting that offer to fight Petr Yan for the Bantamweight title anytime soon now, if not, Sandhagen is ready to take the fight. While that is unlikely to happen, perhaps a fight against Frankie Edgar is in order. Sure, the allure of pitting him up against TJ Dillashaw is there, but he won’t return until January, and I would hate to put “The Sandman” on ice until then, especially since he is ready to go now. That’s why a fight against Edgar makes sense. “The Answer” is coming off a huge win over Pedro Munhoz, and booking this potential matchup as the co-main event to Yan vs Sterling makes sense for insurance purposes.
Winner: Edson Barboza
Who He Should Face Next: Shane Burgos
Yes, Burgos is coming off a loss, but let’s not act like Barboza has been setting the combat world on fire as of late. His win over Makwan Amirkhani was his first since 2018, snapping his three-fight losing streak. Burgos, meanwhile, just has his three-fight win streak snapped by Josh Emmett, so he is hungry for a win. Ranked No. 10 at the moment, I don’t think Burgos would pass up the chance to face an established veteran like Barboza, despite the fact that he’s a four spots behind him in the rankings.
Winner: Marcin Tybura
Who He Should Face Next: Tom Aspinall
Tybura should be getting a bump into the Top 15 after defeating Ben Rothwell and improving to three straight wins, so I like a showdown against Aspinall, who was also victorious last night on “Fight Island” over Alan Baudot. While it isn’t the biggest name for Tybura, giving him someone like Aspinall, who is an up-and-coming contender with five straight wins could give him a huge boost. For Aspinall, a win over an established veteran like Tybura will definitely raise his stock and give him some much-needed momentum.
Winner: Dricus du Plessis
Who He Should Face Next: Rodolfo Vieira
Dricus made an impressive UFC debut after knocking out Markus Perez in the very first round. The win was his third straight and put the 185 pound on notice, as the confident combatant already has his sights set on the cream of the crop, as stated in his post-fight interview. For now, it’s still a long road to climb to the top, so a fight against Vieira should be next for the former champion. Vieira was set to face Perez at this event before he was forced out for undisclosed reasons. If he is ready to return soon, the undefeated fighter (7-0, 2-0 UFC) would be a good match up for the UFC’s newest striking machine.
Winner: Ilia Topuria
Who He Should Fight Next: Giga Chikadzee
I sometiems scratch my head on the placement of certain fights on cards. I know most dont care, but to put Chikadzee — who had won three straight inside the Octagon prior to picking up hos fourth last night — on the “prelims” while grant Topuria — a UFC newcomer — on the main card — is mind a bit odd to me. I get it, Topuria was undefeated coming in, and remained so by defeating Youssef Zalal, but give your vets the shine, first. Nevertheless, Giga can steal said shine from Topuria should they get matched up next.
For complete UFC Fight Island 5 results and coverage click here.