The UFC is heading to Des Moines, Iowa on May 3rd and today we learned what the main event will be. After an initial report from MMA reporter Leonardo Guimarães, MMA Junkie confirmed the news today that former interim bantamweight title challenger Cory Sandhagen (17-5) will be taking on former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1).
This is a sensational main event for the bantamweight division. Starting with Sandhagen, he will look to bounce back after a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov last August. That fight was a title eliminator and Sandhagen lost by decision. That loss snapped his three-fight win streak which included wins over Chito Vera and Rob Font.
Since making his UFC debut, Sandhagen has gone 10-4 in fourteen fights. However, he’s only lost to the best of the best. His losses came against Nurmagomedov and former champions TJ Dillashaw, Aljamain Sterling, and Petr Yan.
UFC Des Moines
Speaking of Petr Yan, that was the last man to face Deiveson Figueiredo. Figueiredo took on Yan in the main event of UFC Macau. Figueiredo had moments throughout that fight, but it was a clear decision for Petr Yan after the final bell. That was Figueiredo’s first loss at bantamweight.
The former flyweight champion moved up to 135 in 2023 and had gone 3-0 to that point. His wins included a decision over Chito Vera, a submission of Cody Garbrandt, and a decision over Rob Font. Figueiredo lost some momentum with the Yan fight, but he’ll gain it back in a big way should he defeat Sandhagen in May.
