The MMA leader has seen a flurry of fight announcements over the past day or so, with the latest being the main event for a UFC Fight Night in Iowa this coming May.
On Thursday, MMA reporter Léo Guimaraes first broke the news on X that top bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo are set to clash at a UFC Fight Night event on May 3 in Des Moines.
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MMA Junkie further confirmed the update, reporting that the Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo showdown will serve as the main event for UFC Des Moines, though the venue remains undisclosed.
Sandhagen was last seen in action against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss, snapping his three-fight winning streak.
“The Sandman” has gone 5-4 in his last nine Octagon appearances and will be eager to reignite his title aspirations with a potential statement win over Figueiredo.
Meanwhile, the former flyweight champion tasted defeat for the first time at bantamweight in his most recent outing against ex-champ Petr Yan at UFC Macau last November. “Deus da Guerra” now holds a 3-1 record in the 135-pound division and will be looking to bounce back in a big way.
With Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo added to the card, the UFC Des Moines lineup is shaping up as follows:
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
- Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate
- Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- JeongYeong Lee vs. Trevor Peek
- Serhiy Sidey vs. Cameron Smotherman
- Gillian Robertson vs. Marina Rodriguez