Cory Sandhagen is back on track in his longtime pursuit of a UFC championship. The 33-year-old bantamweight out of Aurora, Colorado, put on a dominant performance in finishing former two-time flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil in the second round of the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sandhagen was coming off a loss last August to Umar Nurmagomedov in a title eliminator, halting a three-fight winning streak. Now he's lined up to challenge for the belt.
Sandhagen (18-5) was in control from the start, largely thanks to Figueiredo's questionable decision-making. After Sandhagen ended up on top in an early scramble on the mat, Figueiredo went for a leg lock and, with his arms wrapped around his opponent's ankle and calf, had no defense for a barrage of Sandhagen punches and elbows to the face and body.
Sandhagen landed 31 significant strikes in the round compared with just two by Figueiredo (24-5-1). Round 2 went even worse for Figueiredo. He again went for a leg lock, and this time his own leg got tangled with his opponent's. When Sandhagen scrambled into top position, Figueiredo's knee gave out and he flopped to his back, injured. Referee Dan Miragliotta jumped in to wave off the bout as a TKO at 4:08 of the round.
An unfortunate way for the fight to end? Not for Sandhagen. "If you don't know how to play the 50-50 [position], your knee gets popped," he said.
Sandhagen, who has won four of his past five bouts, then called for a title shot against the winner of the June 7 meeting of champion Merab Dvalishvili and the man he dethroned, Sean O'Malley. "I've dreamed of being a world champion for more than half of my life now," Sandhagen said. "UFC, please give me an opportunity to show how great I am to the whole world. Please!"
Sandhagen, No. 5 in the ESPN men's bantamweight rankings, has come close to the title on several occasions. He lost an interim title bout with former champ Petr Yan in 2021 and also dropped a pair of title eliminators -- last summer against Nurmagomedov and in 2020 against eventual champ Aljamain Sterling.
The sixth-ranked Figueiredo has lost two fights in a row in the wake of a three-fight winning streak.
The co-main event produced the first blemish on the starry résumé of middleweight prospect Bo Nickal. The three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion lost for the first time in his eight-fight MMA career, as Reinier de Ridder produced a second-round TKO with a succession of knees to the body.
De Ridder (20-2), a former two-division One Championship titleholder, has won all three of his UFC fights, the first two by submission. The first round featured much grappling, both in standup clinches and a ground battle. Nickal got a takedown, but de Ridder reversed to top position and seized control.
In Round 2, de Ridder used a clinch to land knees, first to the body and then to the head, hurting Nickal with one to the chin. De Ridder then got the finish with another knee to the body, collapsing the prospect at 1:53 of the round.
The only other fighter from the ESPN rankings who was in action at Wells Fargo Arena was Marina Rodriguez, who is No. 7 at strawweight -- for now. Gillian Robertson dominated Rodriguez on the way to a second-round TKO that was Rodriguez's third loss in a row and fifth in her past six bouts. Rodriguez, 38, announced her retirement afterward.
UFC Des Moines featured a number of other exciting matchups that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Daniel Rodriguez defeated Santiago Ponzinibbio by TKO in the third round, while Montel Jackson and Serhiy Sidey both secured unanimous decision victories against their opponents.
Jackson faced Daniel Marcos and controlled the bout with a tactical approach, leading to a clean sweep on the judges' scorecards at 30-27. Sidey faced Cameron Smotherman, also earning a unanimous decision win with scores of 30-27 and 29-28.
In the lightweight division, Mason Jones returned to the Octagon against Jeremy Stephens, showcasing his striking and grappling skills to win by unanimous decision, 30-27 across the board. This marked a significant comeback for Jones, who had faced challenges in his previous fights.
The preliminary card featured several notable performances. Yana Santos defeated former champion Miesha Tate by unanimous decision, further complicating Tate's future in the sport. Azamat Bekoev made a statement with a TKO victory over Ryan Loder in the first round, while Quang Le secured a submission win over Gaston Bolanos.
Gillian Robertson's victory over Marina Rodriguez was particularly poignant, as Rodriguez announced her retirement after the fight, marking the end of an era for the former top contender. Robertson's performance solidified her position as a rising star in the strawweight division, and she is now expected to climb the rankings significantly.
Overall, UFC Des Moines was a night filled with drama, excitement, and pivotal moments that could shape the future of numerous fighters in the promotion. With title shots on the line and career-defining performances, fans are left eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the UFC story.
