UFC Fight Island 5 Odds, Picks & Betting Preview – Moraes vs Sandhagen

• A pivotal bantamweight fight headlines UFC Fight Island 5
• Marlon Moraes goes head-to-head with Cory Sandhagen in the main event in Abu Dhabi
• See the odds, picks, and betting preview for the full UFC Fight Island 5 main card, below

The Ultimate Fighting Championship remains on Fight Island for the third of five consecutive weeks for UFC Fight Island 5 that goes down on Saturday, October 10 in Abu Dhabi.

In the main event, former bantamweight title challenger, Marlon Moraes looks to extend his win streak to two when he battles Cory Samdhagen. The co-main event sees a very intriguing featherweight fight between Edson Barboza and Makwan Amirkhani.

UFC Fight Island 5 main card airs live on ESPN+ at 8 PM EST. The table below shows odds for the main card at FanDuel and DraftKings, followed by best bets for the event.

UFC Fight Island 5 Main Card Odds

All odds taken Oct. 5

Can Sandhagen Rebound After 1st UFC Loss?

Marlon Moraes was supposed to fight Petr Yan in June but the event was canceled due to the pandemic. When fights returned, it was then Yan vs. Jose Aldo, a man who Moraes beat last time out, for the vacant bantamweight title leaving the Brazilian as the odd man out. Now, however, he can cement his case as the number one contender in the main event of UFC Fight Island 5.

Moraes & Sandhagen Recent Fights

This should be a phenomenal fight between two of the best bantamweights in the world and kicks off an intriguing three week stretch of amazing main events on Fight Island.

Entering the fight, many view this as a striking matchup as both Moraes and Sandhagen like to stay standing. However, both have solid jiu-jitsu and it easily could hit the mat at any point. Early on, expect Sandhagen to use his three and a half-inch reach advantage with his jab and piece up Moraes. As the fight goes on, the Brazilian will able to close the distance and start landing the harder punches.

Sandhagen has fought a hard hitter in Lineker and it was a close competitive fight. This time, however, he will have to go five rounds and his gas tank is a question mark, as is Moraes’ who gassed out against Cejudo.

Sandhagen should win the first round but as the fight goes on it will be Moraes landing the harder punches to eventually drop Sandhagen. Look for Moraes to drop Sandhagen by jumping on a submission or ground and pounding him out. Either way, Moraes should win this fight by stoppage. Getting Moraes at +120 holds great value and is a solid bet.

Pick: Marlon Moraes (+120)

Moraes vs Sandhagen Stats

Can Barboza Snap His Losing Skid?

Edson Barboza is on a three-fight losing streak and is 1-5 in his last six, but his last two were controversial split decision losses that could’ve gone his way.

Barboza & Amirkhani Recent Fights

This fight really comes down to Makwan Amirkhani’s ability to get Barboza down and submit him. This is a classic striker against grappler matchup and when Barboza has fought grapplers in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kevin Lee he was outwrestled and dominated. Yet, they are much better grapplers than Amirkhani is, and on the feet, “Mr. Finland” doesn’t have the best striking defense.

This fight shouldn’t go the distance as Barboza should be able to piece up Amirkhani and eventually drop him and score a TKO win. That being said, -245 is too high for me to bet on.

Pick: Edson Barboza (-245)

Other UFC Fight Island 5 Picks:

1. Ben Rothwell (-182): Rothwell should be able to keep this fight standing and piece up Tybura to win a decision.
2. Markus Perez (+116): This is a really close fight but Perez is better on the ground and should be able to control the fight to get a submission or decision win.
3. Tom Aspinall (-355): Aspinall should earn a KO win but at -355 I wouldn’t recommend a bet.
4. Youssef Zalal (-180): Zalal should be able to outpoint Toupira and earn a decision win. His odds should shorten to -250, so bet Zalal at -180 before his line gets out of control.