UFC Fight Island 5 results & video: Barboza outstrikes Amirkhani, Du Plessis wins debut

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

On the UFC Fight Island 5 main card, Edson Barboza took a dominant decision over Makwan Amirkhani, and Dricus Du Plessis and Tom Aspinall picked up quick finishes.

The UFC Fight Island 5 main card is in progress, and the co-main event just witnessed the company’s #14 ranked featherweight, Edson Barboza, out-strike Makwan Amirkhani for the bulk of 15-minutes. It was the classic striking of Barboza that produced two knockdowns in the second-round that aided him in his unanimous decision victory. This is Barboza’s first official win at 145-pounds, snaps a three-fight losing skid, and proves that he is still one of the very best in the world.

Heavyweights Ben Rothwell and Marcin Tybura went to war in a grueling fifteen-minute fight. The first-two rounds saw a ton of volume being thrown on the feet on both sides, with Tybura utilizing his head movement and footwork to make his opponent miss and tire out. Come round three, Tybura took top position to neutralize Rothwell and solidify his unanimous decision win. This makes three-straight wins for Tybura, and definitely one of the biggest names of his career!

Making good on his UFC debut, Dricus Du Plessis overcame a slow start to knockout Markus Perez in the first-round. Perez went right at him, making the promotional newcomer uncomfortable at first. Then, a perfectly placed counter hook dropped Perez, and some savage ground strikes sealed the deal. In his post-fight interview, he low-key called out Kevin Holland, and expressed his desire to be the UFC’s ‘first real African champion.’

The first finish on the main card came just 95-seconds into the fight when Tom Aspinall ground and pounded Alan Baudot from the full mount. When things got a bit crazy on the feet, Aspinall changed levels and took control of the fight. This is two quick finishes for Aspinall in the UFC, who appears to be a fresh breath at heavyweight and someone to surely keep an eye on.

**See complete results below

Main card:

Edson Barboza def. Makwan Amirkhani by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28): Featherweight

Barboza took the center of the cage and threw a lot of feints. Amirkhani sat back and patiently waited. A couple of kicks were launched by barboza, but not very many. Amirkhani finally shot in, but Barboza was able to fight him off and stay standing. Barboza landed a big body kick at the end of the round, to which Amirkhani used to get a last-second takedown.

The chess match continued into the second act. Barboza took the center again and pumped out a bunch of feints and looks. Barboza was ripping to the body with sneaky entries. Then, he dropped Amirkhani with a crisp straight. Barboza allowed Amirkhani to stand up, prompting Amirkhani to try and force the takedown. An explosive switch step cross from Barboza dropped Amirkhani, and then he attacked with an anaconda. Amirkhani escaped and took top position for the final seconds of the round.

Amirkhani finally found top position early in a round in the final frame. He spent a lot of time in the full guard of Barboza, and was warned several times by the referee to do something. The official ultimately stood up the fighters, and Barboza tee’d off until the bell.

Marcin Tybura def. Ben Rothwell by unanimous decision (29-27 x3): Heavyweight

Rothwell marched forward behind a boxing flurry to open the bout. He was being aggressive, until a sharp shot from Tybura gained a little respect. The big men started trading! They were taking turns exchanging leather with neither man looking to grapple. Toe to toe they went, with Rothwell throwing in combos and Tybura landing one at a time. They brawled all the way to the bell, with Rothwell throwing well over 100 strikes in 5-minutes.

Rothwell began the second round with a lot of pressure behind his volume. They clinched up and Tybura was able to land some good strikes of his own, including a knee to the face. Rothwell kept throwing his volume, whether he was landing or not. Tybura snuck in another clean knee to the face. Tybura started to land his solo punches as Rothwell began to slow down a bit.

Tybura definitely appeared to be the fresher fighter going into the final frame. Rothwell kept plodding forward but he was getting countered. Tybura was flowing, moving his head and returning straight punches. He wasn’t;t over-committing or winging punches. Then, he went and got himself a takedown, and controlled from the top until the end of the round.

Dricus Du Plessis def. Markus Perez by KO at 3:22 of round 1: Middleweight

Perez pressed the action right away, backing up Du Plessis to the cage. Du Plessis seemed a little jittery and din’t like the pressure being put on him. Perez looked comfortable and composed. Just when it looked as if Du Plessis was in for a long night, he uncorked a blazing counter left hand that dropped Perez. Du Plessis followed up with some brutal ground strikes to put Perez out cold.

Tom Aspinall def. Alan Baudot by TKO at 1:35 of round 1: Heavyweight

A bit of feeling out went on to open the bout. Aspinall started to open up and Baudot responded with some sneaky elbows. Aspinall opted to get the takedown, and proceeded to pound away until he referee said to stop.

Ilia Topuria def. Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Featherweight

Topuria took the center of the cage to get things going as Zalal used his footwork to skirt along the outside. They clinched up against the fence and Topuria was warned about grabbing the fence. Topuria then hit a sweet throw and went right to full mount. He threatened with an anaconda choke and switched it to a tight guillotine. He went back to the anaconda, but Zalal was able to explode out of it and back to his feet.

Zalal worked hard for a takedown against the fence in the second round. Topuria was warned several times for striking close tot he back of the head. They broke apart and Topuria was winging his right hand with Zalal just getting out of the way. Topuria hit a takedown and started to attack the neck with various guillotine attempts.

It didn’t take very long for Topuria to find top position in the final round. Zalal found a way to escape, but it was only a matter of time before Topuria was back on top. He surfed atop Zalal, but again Zalal found a way to get up. Topuria seemed really fatigued and Zalal started to press the issue. Topuria dug deep and realized one last takedown to finish the round on top.