UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo Betting Tips
An important match-up at the top end of the bantamweight division headlines the UFC Fight Night card in Iowa as Corey Sandhagen takes on Deiveson Figueiredo.
The co-main event sees much-hyped and undefeated Bo Nickal returning to face former One Championship title holder Reinier de Ridder in what will be his toughest test to date.
Here are our best bets for Saturday night's MMA card.
Tip 1 – Cory Sandhagen by Decision @ 4/6
Cory Sandhagen (17-5-0) faces Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) in a crossroads fight for both in terms of the 135lb title picture.
Sandhagen has been in the upper echelons of the division for some time and is a former interim title challenger, losing to Petr Yan over five rounds in 2021.
The 33-year-old, who is 10-4 in the UFC, was last seen in August losing over five rounds to Umar Nurmagomedov in what turned out to be a final eliminator.
Prior to that, the American had put together a three-fight winning streak by defeating Rob Font (UD), Marlon Vera (SD) and Yadong Song (TKO, R4).
Figueiredo is a former two time flyweight champion and this will be his fifth fight in his new weight class.
So far the Brazilian is 3-1 at 135lbs having beaten Rob Font (UD), Cody Garbrandt (R2, sub) and Marlon Vera (UD), before losing last time out in November over five rounds against Petr Yan.
Famed for his flyweight quadrilogy against Brandon Moreno, the 38-year-old has a strong grappling game and knockout power with four KO/TKO and four submission wins in the UFC.
However, the power may not have translated fully to his new weight class with Sandhagon yet to suffer a knockout defeat in 14 UFC contests.
Sandhagon has five KO finishes of his own, as well as a submission win from his 10 trips inside the Octagon.
The American sets a high pace and will bring volume in the striking department, while the Nurmagomedov performance in particular showed his grappling defence is much improved.
This contest looks likely to go long, with Sandhagon the pick to get his hand raised.
Tip 2 – Bo Nickal to win by finish @ 21/20
Reinier de Ridder (19-2-0) and Bo Nickal (7-0-0) go head-to-head in a battle of elite grapplers.
De Ridder is a former One Championship belt holder at light heavyweight and heavyweight who is now plying his trade in the UFC’s middleweight division, where he is 2-0.
The Dutch fighter made his debut with a hard-fought third-round submission win over Gerald Meerschaert last November, before making a quick turnaround to submit Kevin Holland in the first round in January this year.
A third outing in six months sees de Ridder matched with one of the UFC’s most-hyped prospects in Nickal.
A decorated wrestler out of Penn State, the 28-year-old is a three-time NCAA Division I champion approaching the third year of his switch to pro MMA.
Nickal has gone 4-0 in the UFC, starting with finishes against Jamie Pickett (R1 sub), Val Woodburn (R1, TKO) and Cody Brundage (R2, sub).
Last time out Nickal took on the experienced grappler Paul Craig, who has been ranked at middleweight and light heavyweight, gaining a unanimous decision win.
It was a fight fought solely on the feet, with the American outpointing the Scottish fighter, albeit in a low output contest.
Once again his grappling credentials could be put to the test, with BJJ specialist De Ridder boasting 14 submission wins from his 19 as a professional.
There is every chance both men will decide to kickbox, which would favour Nickal, although he is still raw.
De Ridder will likely push a faster pace and take more chances than Craig, which could well bring out the best in Nickal and lead to a finish.
Tip 3 – Montel Jackson to win by Finish @ 13/5
Montel Jackson (14-2-0) and Daniel Marcos (17-0-0) are both looking to take a step closer to the top 15 of the bantamweight division.
Jackson is 8-2 in the UFC and on a five-fight winning streak that includes back-to-back first-round KOs of Da'Mon Blackshear and Rani Yahya.
The straight left stoppage of Blackshear after just 18 seconds was the second-fastest in the division’s history and earned the American a $50k bonus.
In fact, all of the 33-year-old's UFC stoppages have come in round one, with three KOs and one submission.
Jackson, who despite his fast hands comes from a wrestling background, has shown patience too, winning four fights by unanimous decision.
Marcos remains unbeaten through 17 pro fights including four in the UFC, with his last three coming via the judges' scorecards over Adrian Yanez (SD), John Castaneda (UD) and Davey Grant (SD).
The 32-year-old has one no contest on his record, after a second-round accidental groin strike on Aoriqileng saw the Chinese fighter unable to continue.
Marcos has one UFC stoppage to date, a second-round TKO of Saimon Oliveira on his debut in 2023, landing a perfect knee to the body.
The Peruvian fighter has activity on his side, taking five UFC fights since signing in 2023, whereas Jackson has managed only one in each of the last two calendar years.
Marcos has a higher significant striking output at 5.90 per minute compared to Jackson’s 3.39, although he takes considerably more damage, conceding 4.25 significant strikes per minute compared to 1.42 for Jackson.
Southpaw Jackson may be able to control this fight with his reach advantage and he possesses much better finishing potential.
View all our UFC betting markets here
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change