In the main event of the UFC on ESPN+ 37, Cory Sandhagen delivered a vicious spinning wheel kick KO, that took care of Marlon Moraes.
It is a very important win for the Sandman, who now bounced back following a defeat to Aljamain Sterling earlier this year. That fight lasted for just 88 seconds and was pretty damaging for Sandhagen’s (13-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) reputation.
Not only that, it slowed him down on his quest to reach the title, and the American now has to wait and see what happens with the champion Petr Yan and the No.1 challenger Sterling, before making his plans.
Sandhagen with the spinning wheel kick KO! #UFCFightIsland5 pic.twitter.com/py3PbiQCLQ
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 11, 2020
The bout itself was like expected, high-octane, intense, and exciting. Both guys came out fired-up, not backing out for a millimetre. The goal was to impose their own style of fight and dictate the tempo, which is why we saw numerous combos, hits, and strikes, and even though most of them weren’t clean, the fight was interesting.
Moraes (23-7-1 MMA, 5-3 UFC) was a bit more aggressive in the opening sequence, with Sandhagen keeping the distance, but waiting for his chance to inflict some leg kicks to the Brazilian’s body.
The second started the same, but as time went by, it seemed that the American got the edge, especially following one high kick that swelled Moraes’ right eye. Shortly after, Sandhagen performed that spinning kick that sent his rival to the ground, which he quickly utilize and finished the contest.
Yan vs. Sterling
Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw
Cruz vs. Edgar
Moraes vs. Munhoz#UFCFightIsland5
— José Youngs (@JoseYoungs) October 11, 2020
It was his sixth win in the UFC, 13th in career, and apparently the biggest one so far. Moraes has a high pedigree as the former bantamweight challenger in the UFC, and the former WSOF bantamweight champion. After this battle, Sandhagen announced his plans before the match for the title, and that is to face TJ Dillashaw and Frenkie Edgar, two of the former champs in this division.
That is if Yan vs. Sterling gets officially booked later this year.
On the other side, Moraes will have to start working all over again. The Magic, as the fans call him, now has two losses in the latest three fights, including the defeat against the former champion Henry Cejudo in a title bout at the UFC 238. He defeated Jose Aldo afterward, but even so, Aldo was the one who got the chance to fight for the belt against Yan.
