Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Des Moines mixed martial arts (MMA) event, set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., May 3, 2025) on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. UFC Des Moines features a bantamweight main event between Top 5 title contenders Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo, a five-round showdown with serious title implications for late 2025 and beyond.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the middleweight collision between Bo Nickal and Reinier de Ridder, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Des Moines main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Des Moines live results for this weekend’s fight card in “The Hawkeye State” click here.
135 lbs.: Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen
Record: 17-5 | Age: 33 | Betting line: -500
Wins: 7 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’11” | Reach: 70” | Stance: Switch
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.02 | Striking accuracy: 44%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.46 | Striking Defense: 56%
Takedown Average: 1.19 (32% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 63%
Current Ranking: No. 4 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov
Deiveson “Deus da Guerra” Figueiredo
Record: 24-4-1 | Age: 37 | Betting line: +380
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 9 SUB, 6 DEC | Losses: 1 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 2 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 68” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.91 | Striking accuracy: 54%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.55 | Striking Defense: 49%
Takedown Average: 1.62 (34% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 60%
Current Ranking: No. 5 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan
Cory Sandhagen has been in or around the Top 5 of the bantamweight division for the last several years and for good reason. The 33 year-old “Sandman” has excellent standup, establishing creative angles while employing good footwork. He’s also an effective offensive wrestler, though his defensive wrestling leaves a lot to be desired. You could probably put Sandhagen into a bantamweight title fight in case of emergency and get little to no pushback from fans, simply because the Coloradan is such an entertaining fighter. To wit, Sandhagen has four post-fight performance bonuses with four “Fight of the Night” honors.
Unfortunately, something is still missing and whatever that X-factor is, it’s keeping “The Sandman” from capturing a world title. Sandhagen beats most of the division Top 10 but ultimately falls to former champions and top contenders like Petr Yan and Umar Nurmagomedov. Those losses were not blowouts by any stretch of the imagination, but they weren't robberies, either, establishing a clear ceiling for Sandhagen among the current crop of 135-pound title hopefuls. I know he likes to talk about giving current champion Merab Dvalishvili problems on the feet, but I don't see any scenario where “The Machine” doesn’t set a record for championship takedowns.
“I’m just losing by inches,” Sandhagen told MMA Junkie. “I’m not really losing by miles against any of these guys. I’ve just got to go out there and touch up some things. I’m sick of being the guy that’s really good at almost winning. I’m done being that dude. It’s hard. It’s hard to beat really good fighters, so I’m trying my best. I think I’ve learned a lot from my experience. I’m a super experienced guy.”
“Hopefully I just go out, whoop his ass then I can be the main event fighting for a title,” Sandhagen continued. “That’s really what I want. I’m over being the main event without a title shot, so hopefully after this one I’ll be able to stamp my ticket to fighting for the belt. After this one, I really think that I’ll land in one of those spots where there’s going to be no one else to fight for the belt.”
Deiveson Figueiredo is a former flyweight champion who struggled mightily to make the 125-pound mark, forcing a long overdue jump to 135 pounds. Unfortunately, Figueiredo still has a flyweight’s physique, standing 5’5” with a 68” reach. That gives him considerable disadvantages against a rangy striker like Sandhagen, though we can’t overlook the Brazilian’s early success at bantamweight. Choking out Cody Garbrandt doesn't mean a whole lot in 2024 but Figueiredo had solid victories over Rob Font and Marlon Vera, two very tough outs in the 135-pound weight class. Then came his loss to Petr Yan, which has me rethinking his chances at bantamweight.
Figueiredo is 37 years old and certainly looked it against “No Mercy,” getting comically out-struck 190-53 across five rounds of action. I know everyone has an off night from time to time, but only landing 53 strikes in 25 minutes is concerning, especially considering Sandhagen will present many of the same problems on the feet. Figueiredo will have to rely on his aggressiveness, as well as his chin, to keep Sandhagen from settling into a rhythm. In addition, look for “Deus da Guerra” to lean heavily on his offensive wrestling, which has as much to do with shutting down kicks (and disrupting footwork) as it does getting the fight to the floor. Whether or not Figueiredo has the conditioning to keep that up for all five rounds remains to be seen, but I’m not feeling overly optimistic about his chances.
“I’m a guy that’s now 37, so I can’t miss out on this opportunity,” Figueiredo said during the UFC Des Moines media day. “Beating Cory on Saturday, I’ll get on the microphone and ask UFC to get me that title shot. The pictures that you see [circulating online] are from a time when I was coming off injury. So I had injuries in the groin area muscles, and I was taking cortisone, and I was very overweight. But people don’t need to worry. I’m going to make weight. I’ve always been very professional in my life, and I’m not going to stop being professional now.”
Sandhagen is a natural bantamweight, the better striker, and much younger than his Des Moines foe. That doesn’t mean Figueiredo should be entirely counted out, especially in this crazy sport, I just don’t see a clear path to victory for a combatant who likely left the best version of himself in another division.
Prediction: Sandhagen def. Figueiredo by decision
185 lbs.: Bo Nickal vs. Reinier de Ridder
Bo Nickal
Record: 7-0 | Age: 29 | Betting line: -325
Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 4 SUB, 1 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 6’1“ | Reach: 76” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.65 | Striking accuracy: 63%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.86 | Striking Defense: 45%
Takedown Average: 3.61 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 100%
Current Ranking: Unranked | Last fight: Unanimous decision win over Paul Craig
Reinier de Ridder
Record: 19-2 | Age: 34 | Betting line: +260
Wins: 4 KO/TKO, 13 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 2 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 0 DEC
Height: 6’4“ | Reach: 78” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.28 | Striking accuracy: 57%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.69 | Striking Defense: 38%
Takedown Average: 6.89 (46% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 100%
Current Ranking: No. 13 | Last fight: Submission win over Kevin Holland
You know a fighter is good when they win a fight — and win convincingly — and everyone is mad about it, or claims said fighter was “exposed” or not the dominant force we all expected. It happened to Shavkat Rakhmonov when he fought to a decision for the first time in his career (courtesy of Ian Garry) and it also happened to Bo Nickal when he pushed his way past Paul Craig at UFC 309 last November. This is the same Craig who submitted current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev and knocked out former 205-pound titleholder Jamahal Hill, but somehow “only” a decision win over the submission-savvy Scot is seen as an embarrassment. I guess part of the blame falls on the never-ending hyperbole from UFC and Nickal himself, who routinely dares you to bet the house when he competes.
Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and a three-time Big Ten Conference champion out of Penn State University, making him one of the finest wrestlers (and finest athletes) to ever compete in the middleweight division. UFC has certainly seen its share of outstanding wrestlers, like Daniel Cormier and Yoel Romero, but they were both already in their thirties by the time they started pursuing a career in MMA. Nickal was just 25 and at 29, is now fighting on the biggest stage in combat sports. Working against him is the fact that his competition prior to Craig has been mediocre, at best, which may account for his five first-round finishes. For his UFC Des Moines return, Nickal will oppose a dangerous ground fighter who may be the first opponent Nickal has faced that may actually want to get taken down, because the ground is where (most) submissions are secured.
“I think my last fight was massive for my experience and performance, overall; anytime I can get extra cage time is perfect for me since my career is new,” Nickal told UFC.com. “It gave me a lot of feedback on what to focus on and improve. I am looking to show all the improvements this weekend.”
“I think that with this next fight he’ll probably have more urgency to take it to the ground,” Nickal continued. “I think he feels like he has an advantage there, but for me, I feel ready wherever the fight’s at. I am just looking to continue to compete for the entirety of the fight and wherever it goes, I’ll feel comfortable and confident.”
Any criticism Nickal has faced for his strength of competition can also be extended to Reinier de Ridder, a talented grappler who is enormous for the middleweight division, standing 6’4” with a 78” reach. “The Dutch Knight” jumped out to 2-0 under the UFC banner by submitting Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland; who combined, have 32 losses and remain unranked at 185 pounds. De Ridder’s overseas record is equally suspect, sprinkled with warm bodies and weekend warriors, like the 4-8 Lamine Talbi and the 0-2 Jaouad Ikan. During the UFC Des Moines media day, De Ridder did not seem overly concerned with Nickal’s offensive wrestling, insisting that he was training with wrestlers every day at Kill Cliff FC in south Florida. I admire his confidence and he’s certainly got the experience to back it up, but he turns 35 this year and doesn't have the kind of striking to keep Nickal honest on his feet, which could turn this battle of grapplers into a sloppy kickboxing match.
“Let’s be real, we’re both so elite at this, both so good at the grappling arts,” De Ridder told Uncrowned. “Of course, I’ve been putting work into my striking for the last 10 years, and of course, I like to show this off. But I’ll never be Israel Adesanya. Let’s be honest, I’m never going to be as refined as he is. So yeah, I want to show off the grappling. I want to show off what makes us special this Saturday.”
“I’m going to take him down,” De Ridder continued. “Why not? I’ve been taking people down for so long. I understand that people call me a jiu-jitsu guy, but it’s always been about the takedowns as well. Bo, I think he’s building a good base, a good game, but it’s just not there yet. I’m going to show that. He’s really had fights that are tailor-made for him so far, basically. And this might be a very rough one for him.”
De Ridder’s biggest advantage in this fight will be his size, which ironically, will also be his biggest liability. The former light heavyweight makes a significant cut down to 185 pounds and as we saw against Meerschaert, that comes at the cost of conditioning. “The Dutch Knight” was out of gas by the time he sealed the deal and Nickal will make him work twice as hard as “GM3.” Look for an ugly fight littered with wild strikes and fast scrambles that has De Ridder fade late. Once that happens, Nickal will secure mount and pound his way to the promised land.
Prediction: Nickal def. De Ridder by technical knockout
Be sure to check out the rest of the UFC Des Moines main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
Boxebet will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Des Moines fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN2 and ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining UFC Des Moines main card balance on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET.
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