Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo headlined the UFC Des Moines fight card, clashing in a highly anticipated bantamweight showdown. Additionally, the card was co-headlined by a middleweight matchup between former ONE Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Champion Reinier de Ridder and wrestling savant Bo Nickal.
The card also featured several other intriguing matchups, involving fighters like former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha Tate, Gillian Robertson, Daniel Rodriguez, Mason Jones, and other notable combatants.
Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo Result
Both Sandhagen and Figueiredo are considered to be dangerous strikers. While Sandhagen is a former interim UFC bantamweight title challenger, his Brazilian opponent is a former UFC Flyweight Champion. Their fight was expected to be a striking fan’s delight, and it was Sandhagen who proved to be the better fighter in that regard at UFC Des Moines.
During round one, a sequence saw “The Sandman” catch Figueiredo with a clean uppercut. The latter then secured a takedown, but the American countered well by outmaneuvering him and landing vicious ground-and-pound strikes on the former flyweight kingpin.
An intriguing element at play was Figueiredo’s leg lock attempts, which eventually seemed to damage his own knee. Round two featured Sandhagen thoroughly out-striking the Brazilian and dominating him on the mat as well, nullifying his submission attempts on the ground.
Sandhagen’s ground strikes ultimately proved to be too much for Figueiredo to handle, and the fight was waved off after the Brazilian tapped out due to an injury in the second round — thereby making Sandhagen the winner via TKO (knee injury).
Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal Result
Reinier de Ridder earned the distinction of being the first fighter to defeat Bo Nickal in the sport of MMA. The Dutch fighter showcased excellent striking and grappling skills throughout the matchup, thoroughly outworking Nickal in both realms en route to a TKO finish in round two.
Some key moments from the fight included Ridder managing to out-grapple Nickal after being taken down and displaying crafty clinch work and vicious knees. The knee strikes proved to be his biggest weapon, as Nickal was hurt on the head and body by them.
The end came courtesy of a devastating knee strike to the body that dropped Nickal and seemed to momentarily incapacitate him.
UFC Des Moines: Full Card Results
In addition to Sandhagen and Figueiredo’s notable victories, the card also witnessed Daniel Rodriguez, Mason Jones, Yana Santos, Gillian Robertson, and other fighters emerge victorious.
Check out the complete results for the UFC Des Moines event below:
Main Card
Bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen def. Deiveson Figueiredo via TKO (knee injury) at the 4:08-minute mark of Round 2
Middleweight: Reinier de Ridder def. Bo Nickal via TKO (knees) at 1:53 of Round 2
Welterweight: Daniel Rodriguez def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via TKO (strikes) at 1:12 of Round 3
Bantamweight: Montel Jackson def. Daniel Marcos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bantamweight: Serhiy Sidey def. Cameron Smotherman via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Lightweight: Mason Jones def. Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Women’s bantamweight: Yana Santos def. Miesha Tate via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Middleweight: Azamat Bekoev def. Ryan Loder via TKO (strikes) at 2:44 of Round 1
Women’s strawweight: Gillian Robertson def. Marina Rodriguez via TKO (strikes) at 2:07 of Round 2
Bantamweight: Quang Le def. Gaston Bolanos via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:54 of Round 2
Heavyweight: Thomas Petersen def. Don’Tale Mayes via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)
Women’s flyweight: Juliana Miller def. Ivana Petrovic via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)