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Match Preview: UFC Fight Night – Moraes vs Sandhagen – 10/10/2020

Another weekend is upon us, which means another night of fights is in order as the UFC gives us another card on Fight Island. Despite no title fights on the card, UFC Fight Night will give us some intriguing matchups as each fighter is looking to move up the ranks and place themselves in a future title opportunity.

In the main event, Marlon Moraes (23-6-1 10 KOs) takes on Cory Sandhagen (12-2 4 KOs) in a bantamweight showdown.

For Moraes, this is a chance to string together two wins in a row and put himself right back in line for a shot at the title. The heavy-handed striker has shown that he is among the best of the best at 135lbs with his Muay Thai style attack mixed with his excellent ground game. He is 5-1 in the promotion, holds a win over future Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, and before being stopped, was ahead on the scorecards against former champion Henry Cejudo.

The Brazilian will look to come forward, apply leg kicks, mix in combinations, and won’t be afraid to grapple and go for the submission. Being the number one ranked opponent in the division, a win cements his status as next in line for new champion Petr Yan.

But before Moraes can make that claim, he’ll have to get through Sandhagen, who has shown that he is not an easy out and is rising up the division ranks fast. Entering the UFC in 2018, Sandhagen has already worked his way up to being fourth in the division, while boasting a 5-1 record. Despite suffering his first defeat in the UFC over the summer, he’s also more than capable of holding his own, as shown by his 4 knockouts and 3 submissions. He’s looking to get back in the winners’ circle and enter his name in the bag for next in line to fight the champion. Sandhagen will look to show in his first main event that he’s here to stay, and the sky’s the limit.

There are also some interesting and familiar names on the card as well.

In the co-main event, a classic striker vs grappler bout will be on display. As always, it’s exciting to watch Edson Barboza (20-9 12 KOs) who looks to get out of his slump and back on the winning side of things as he faces submission ace Makwan Amirkhani (16-4 11 SUBs).

Making his second appearance at featherweight, the Brazilian Barboza looks to get back on track and see himself having his hand raised again after going 1-5 in his last 6 bouts. Despite the losses, Barboza is always a tough out for any opponent because he’s one of the most feared kickers in all of MMA. Getting back in the winners’ circle won’t be easy; the Finland native Amirkhani will be looking to avoid the standup game with the kickboxer and get this bout to the mat where he holds a distinct advantage. Looking for his second win of 2020 and cracking the top 15 in the division (Barboza is ranked 14th at 145lbs), this should be an interesting clash between two very different yet exciting styles.

UFC Fight Night will surely be a fun event to watch with some entertaining matchups and possible movement onto bigger and better things for the winners.

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-Kalani Lua – Franchise Sports Media

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