The UFC touch down in Des Moines, Iowa with a stellar fight night headlined by brilliant top level bantamweights.
Former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo moved up to bantamweight officially in December 2023, after a phenomenal quadrilogy with Brandon Moreno. On his bantamweight debut, he faced Rob Font, a mainstay in the 135lbs rankings, and dominated him impressively over three rounds. Following that, he featured on the biggest UFC card to date, UFC 300. He kicked off the prelims against fan favourite and former champion Cody Garbrandt and easily dispatched him. Campaigning for a title shot, he stepped up against Marlon Vera, who just tasted defeat in a title fight at UFC 299. Another victory here made it three wins at 135lbs and on the cusp of a second UFC belt. Unfortunately, he fell short against Petr Yan in a five-round main event over in Macau at the end of last year.
Across the Octagon, enter ‘The Sandman’ Cory Sandhagen. The American has some of the slickest striking the sport has seen and has been on the fringes of a title fight for many years. However, he is yet to have his shot because he can’t quite jump the final hurdle. Last time out in a title eliminator, he tasted defeat to Umar Nurmagomedov in a close decision, which is a theme of his UFC tenure. Of his four UFC defeats, three have been contentious or arguable decisions. Given his name and status within the division, if he picks up a victory in Des Moines, he could get a title shot as neither of the UFC 316 headliners, Merab Dvalishvili vs Sean O’Malley, have faced him previously.
Ones To Watch
Bo Nickal gets the co-main slot in his eighth professional bout. Widely regarded in America as one of their best wrestling prodigies, fans expect big things in the future; however, against Paul Craig in November, he flattered to deceive. Now this weekend, he will face another submission specialist. Dutchman Reinier De Ridder was a decorated champion in ONE Championship with a grappling game to rival anyone. He joined the UFC in November last year and beat veteran Gerald Meerschaert on debut by submission. Meerschaert himself is a submission wizard which made the victory even more impressive. A quick turnaround saw him feature in January at UFC 311, with another great submission win against Kevin Holland.
UFC Des Moines
Main Card
Bantamweight – Cory Sandhagen vs Deiveson Figueiredo
Result: Sandhagen def. Figueiredo via TKO (knee injury) Round 2 4:08
Highlights:
Middleweight – Reinier De Ridder vs Bo Nickal
Result: de Ridder def. Nickal via TKO (body knee) Round 2 1:53
Highlights:
Welterweight – Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Daniel Rodriguez
Result: Rodriguez def. Ponzinibbio via KO (left hook and punches) Round 3 1:12
Highlights:
Bantamweight – Montel Jackson vs Daniel Marcos
Result: Jackson def. Marcos via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
Highlights:
Bantamweight – Cameron Smotherman vs Serhiy Sidey
Result: Sidey def Smotherman via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Highlights:
Lightweight – Jeremy Stephens vs Mason Jones
Result: Jones def. Stephens via Unanimous Decision (30-27×3)
Highlights:
Prelims
Women’s Bantamweight – Yana Santos vs Miesha Tate
Result: Santos def. Tate via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
Highlights:
Middleweight – Ryan Loder vs Azamat Bekoev
Result: Bekoev def. Loder via TKO (punches) Round 1 2:44
Highlights:
Women’s Strawweight – Marina Rodriguez vs Gillian Robertson
Result: Robertson def. Rodriguez via TKO (ground and pound) Round 2 2:07
Highlights:
Bantamweight – Gaston Bolanos vs Quang Le
Result: Le def. Bolanos via Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 2 1:54
Highlights:
Heavyweight – Thomas Petersen vs Don’Tale Mayes
Result: Petersen def. Mayes via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)
Highlights:
Women’s Flyweight – Juliana Miller vs Ivana Petrovic
Result: Miller def. Petrovic via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
Highlights:
