The UFC is back this Saturday with their third installment from Fight Island 2.0. It’s a pretty damn good card, headlined by an excellent fight between Sergio Moraes and Cory Sandhagen. This fight means so much to an ultra-competitive bantamweight division. The winner here will all but guarantee themselves the next title shot in the division.
Please note that my official plays are at the end of the article, but there are always betting angles that I present in my individual breakdowns that may help you make your own picks and win some money.
Odds
Marlon Moraes (+122) vs. Cory Sandhagen (-132)
Edson Barboza (-260) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (+240)
Ben Rothwell (-150) vs. Marcin Tybura (+140)
Markus Perez (+155) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (-165)
Tom Aspinall (-580) vs. Alan Baudot (+490)
Youssef Zalal (-152) vs. Ilia Topuria (+142)
Tom Breese (-240) vs. KB Bhullar (+220)
Chris Daukaus (+220) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira (-240)
Impa Kasanganay (-235) vs. Joaquin Buckley (+215)
Ali Alqaisi (+185) vs. Tony Kelley (-200)
Giga Chikadze (+140) vs. Omar Morales (-150)
Tracy Cortez (-175) vs. Stephanie Egger (+165)
Bruno Silva (+400) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (-450)
Preview
Marlon Moraes (+122) vs. Cory Sandhagen (-132)
We have an incredible fight that goes down between former title challenger, Marlon Moraes and title challenger hopeful, Cory Sandhagen. This matchup offers up a true contrast of striking styles which should lead to an exciting fight. The winner here will solidify themselves as the number one contender in the stacked bantamweight division.
Moraes is a dynamic striker on the feet. He has plus power in his hands and legs that he throws with bad intentions. His kicks, in particular, are super dangerous. He’s got vicious kicks that eat up his opponent’s legs, body, and ultimately knocks them out when it’s landed on their head. He has speed and incredible distance control. He is also an underrated grappler that can implement those skills in this fight if need be.
Sandhagen is an artist on the feet. He’s a beautiful striker that does an excellent job of attacking every part of his opponent’s body. He throws combinations to the head, body, and legs effortlessly. He’s a master at cage control and keeping his opponent at range. At range, he does a great job of feinting and switching stances that keeps his opponents off balance and guessing throughout the fight.
This is a pretty even fight and a tough one to call. I can clearly see paths to victory for both fighters. Moraes can starch Sandhagen in the first two rounds or Sandhagen can weather the early storm by Moraes and then pick him apart for the last three rounds for a decision win. With that being said, I’m going with Marlon Moraes here. Resume wise there is no comparison. Moraes has fought the way better competition and has been in every one of those fights to the very end, if not won them outright. Moraes has ridiculous striking prowess and power to hurt Sandhagen. He’s technical and has a high fight IQ. The x-factor, which I don’t see coming into play, but needs to be mentioned is that Moraes is the better grappler. He’s an underrated wrestler who has a good double leg that he could use if he gets into trouble on the feet. I really like the value we’re getting on the better fighter in this matchup. Simply put, I got Moraes winning this fight and I have him doing it inside the distance.
Edson Barboza (-260) vs. Makwan Amirkhani (+240)
The co-main event features another interesting stylistic matchup when the striker, Edson Barboza takes on the grappler, Makwan Amirkhani in a featherweight bout.
Barboza is a powerful striker with a ridiculous array of vicious kicks. He throws kicks at will and does serious damage to his opponents. He’s got good power in his hands as well and does a good job of controlling the center of the octagon. The key for him in this fight, is stuffing the takedowns and he’s done a pretty good of that throughout his career.
Amirkhani is a grappling submission-based fighter. On the feet, he throws a decent array of strikes that allows him to distract his opponent and rush in on them. Once in on them, he’s got a good body lock and good pressure up against the cage. He then looks to take his opponent down where he often submits them.
As I stated above, the key to this matchup is Barboza’s takedown defense. If he is able to stop the takedowns or at the very least get up quickly when taken down then he wins this fight running away. On the feet, Barboza is far superior striker and has legit knockout power. The pick is Barboza by knockout.
Ben Rothwell (-150) vs. Marcin Tybura (+140)
The featured bout of this card is a heavyweight showdown between Ben Rothwell and Marcin Tybura.
Rothwell is always a tough out. He’s got cardio to go the distance and durability to withstand his opponent’s onslaught. Offensively, he’s got good forward pressure and legit knockout power. Tybura’s kicks, in particular, his high kick is his best weapon on the feet. However, he mainly looks to grapple with his opponents and take them down to the ground and grind out victories.
This fight is pretty easy to predict. Tybura is going to either grind out a boring victory, get knocked out, or lose a close decision to Rothwell. I’m going with Rothwell here and I can easily see him winning inside the distance.
Markus Perez (+155) vs. Dricus Du Plessis (-165)
This middleweight bout should be a fun striking affair between Markus Perez and Dricus Du Plessis.
We know what we’re getting from Perez, a fun, flashy fighter who likes to bite down on his mouthpiece and push forward. He’s an athletic, wild man who has no problem throwing spinning attacks from any position. He throws a lot kicks, but mainly it’s the left kick that does serious damage to his opponents. In the clinch, he’s got very good knees and elbows.
Du Plessis is making his UFC debut and knows all about being a wild man in the cage. He’s an aggressive fighter who continuously moves forward and pushes a high pace. He will typically blitz forward on his opponent, looking to overwhelm them strikes. He has no problem taking a punch, to give one. In the pocket, he’s got good hooks and solid uppercuts.
I envision this fight being primarily contested on the feet where I think both fighters will have moments of success. At this line, I do not fault anyone taking Perez because it’s a pretty even matchup. However, I’ve seen too many inconsistent performances from Perez to side with him here. I think Du Plessis will win most of the exchanges and has the heart and will to weather any storm from Perez. Du Plessis wins this fight inside the distance as none of his previous sixteen career fights have ever made it to a decision.
Tom Aspinall (-580) vs. Alan Baudot (+490)
I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Tom Aspinall wins this heavyweight bout by knockout.
Youssef Zalal (-152) vs. Ilia Topuria (+142)
Boy, do we have a fight on our hands here in the featherweight division as Youssef Zalal takes on Ilia Topuria in what should be an exciting fight between two of the UFC’s top prospects.
Youssef Zalal comes into this fight having already won three fights in 2020 and he’s hoping to make it four Saturday night. Zalal pushes a high pace on the feet. He likes to control the fight from the outside, picking his opponent apart with strikes. He’s a smooth striker who throws beautiful combinations while maintaining great distance control. He doesn’t have the biggest power but he can still hurt his opponents when he lands. He can land takedowns and on the ground he consistently attacks submissions.
Ilia Topuria is an explosive and super dangerous, undefeated fighter making his UFC debut. On the feet, he does a great job of maintaining distance and letting his hands go. He throws a vast array of combinations that can hurt his opponent but ultimately he uses them to get in on them and take them to the ground. On the ground, he does a great job of controlling his opponent’s legs so that they can’t get back up. He glues himself to his opponents where he continuously looks for submissions, especially from the back.
This should be a very competitive and close fight between two young, talented fighters. I want to side with the favorite, in the streaking Zalal. His 2020 run has been spectacular, however, I’m going with the underdog. I just think his grappling will be the difference in the fight. I can see him getting Zalal to the ground and controlling him in route to a victory. Topuria is the pick here for me.
Tom Breese (-240) vs. KB Bhullar (+220)
This is another one I’ll keep short. Tom Breese is the better fighter here. He’s clearly better everywhere. The question is not his physical, but his mental. As long as his mental health is in good shape, then he’ll get the win here. The pick is Tom Breese inside the distance.
Chris Daukaus (+220) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira (-240)
Chris Daukaus and Rodrigo Nascimento Ferreira square off in a heavyweight bout on Saturday night.
Daukaus is fast on his feet and has good movement for a heavyweight. He likes to move forward, putting pressure on his opponents. He’s got a solid one-two punch and plus power in his hands. He does not really look to take his opponents to the ground, but can if he needs to. He is a black belt in BJJ.
Nascimento is a black belt in BJJ as well, but he will actively look to take the fight to ground if he is not having much success on the feet. On the ground, he’s got solid top control and good pressure. He will look to pass his opponent’s guard and sub them. On the feet, he’s got good jabs, good low kicks, and devastating body kicks.
I’m taking Nascimento here as he is the rightful favorite. However, the line is too wide in this fight, he should not be this big of a favorite. Still, the pick is Nascimento and I think he gets it done inside the distance.
Impa Kasanganay (-235) vs. Joaquin Buckley (+215)
One of the better UFC prospects, Impa Kasanganay takes on Joaquin Buckley in a middleweight affair.
Kasanganay has been insanely active during this pandemic as this is his third fight in two months. He’s got great forward pressure that he uses to overwhelm his opponents. He gets in on them in the clinch and uses his strength to manhandle them up against the cage. He looks for the takedown and when he gets it, he does a great job of controlling his opponent on the ground. On the feet, he can strike. He’s a powerful striker who will mix in attacks to the head and body. His fight IQ is arguably his best asset.
Buckley is similar to Kasanganay in that he has good forward pressure and big power on the feet. He throws big overhand punches and wide hooks. He’s a bit wild. He does do a good job of mixing in kicks though. He throws kicks up the middle, sidekicks, and even flying knees.
The first round should be pretty close as Buckley threatens Kasanganay with forwarding pressure and wildness on the feet. However, I think that Kasanganay will weather the storm and then take this fight over. His grappling will ultimately be the difference. He should be able to control Buckley in the clinch and on the ground in route to a decision victory.
Ali Alqaisi (+185) vs. Tony Kelley (-200)
This should be another entertaining fight in the bantamweight division between Ali Alqaisi and Tony Kelley.
Kelley is a good athlete who is fast on his feet. He enters range with long jabs and straight punches. Once in range, he’s a skilled striker that throws beautiful combinations at will. He throws tight hooks and counters inside. In the clinch, he throws big elbows and knees. He’s got kicks as well that he throws to both the body and head.
Alqaisi is a good striker as well. He likes to counter strike. He has a nice lead uppercut, check left hook and a solid overhand right that he will throw at the end of combinations. Where he does excels is in the grappling department. He’s a strong grappler who has great body locks and trips. Once the fight hits the ground, he does a good job controlling his opponent and looking to finish from the top.
This is a closer fight than the line is letting on. The key will be Kelley’s takedown defense. He’s had trouble with it in the past but claims he’s worked on it. If he’s able to keep the fight off of the ground, I think he wins the exchanges on the feet and wins the fight. If the fight is contested on the ground, he’s going to be in trouble. I think he’ll be able to keep the fight on the feet for the most part and win a decision victory over Alqaisi.
Giga Chikadze (+140) vs. Omar Morales (-150)
This featherweight fight between Giga Chikadze and Omar Morales has all the makings to be the fight of the night. Both of these guys are skilled kickboxers who have successfully made the transition to MMA. They’re smooth on the feet. They both are high-level strikers who throw beautiful combinations from all angles. They both are young up and coming prospects. They are pretty similar in all aspects of the game except for one.
On the ground, Morales is the superior fighter. This is a clear path to victory for him, should he chose to take it. If he doesn’t, he’s still the faster and more explosive fighter on the feet. The pick is Morales by decision.
Tracy Cortez (-175) vs. Stephanie Egger (+165)
Tracey Cortez and Stephanie Egger face off in a bantamweight bout. Cortez will look to get the fight to the ground and Egger will be more than happy to oblige her. I’d be surprised if much of this fight isn’t contested in the clinch or on the ground.
Egger is the bigger and stronger fighter here. Cortez comes in with a lot more hype, but I just got a feeling that she’s not ready for an opponent who is bigger and stronger, and who can do what she does. I’m going with the upset here and taking Egger.
Bruno Silva (+400) vs. Tagir Ulanbekov (-450)
This flyweight fight between Bruno Silva and Tagir Ulanbekov kicks off Saturday’s night of fights. I’ll keep this short and sweet. Ulanbekov is clearly the better fighter here and he wins this one inside the distance.
Official Plays
1U Moraes (+122)
1.5U Rothwell (-150)
1U Topuria (+142)
1.5U Parlay: Rothwell (-150) & Barboza (-260)
