While primarily recognized for his striking prowess, Cory Sandhagen demonstrated significant grappling skills in the main event of UFC Des Moines. A ground reversal executed by Sandhagen resulted in a severe knee injury for Deiveson Figueiredo, bringing the fight to an abrupt end.
The sequence that concluded the bout was not accidental. Both bantamweights were actively vying for dominant positions on the ground. Sandhagen successfully rolled from a seated position, and as he transitioned forward, Figueiredo`s leg became trapped beneath him. Immediately after Sandhagen returned to his knees and began striking, Figueiredo was visibly in pain and tapped out within seconds.
Replays clearly showed Figueiredo`s knee suffering a painful pop after Sandhagen secured his leg during the grappling exchange. The fight officially ended at 4:08 of the second round.
Commenting on the finish, Sandhagen, who has trained extensively under grappling specialist Ryan Hall, stated, “If you don’t know how to play 50/50, your knee gets popped. It happened to T.J. [Dillashaw], it happened to Figgy. If you don’t know how to play that position, you lose and I’m better there. I put him there, I sat up and it popped. That’s how it goes.”
Despite the fight being anticipated as a stand-up war, Figueiredo evidently intended to use his wrestling and submission skills to challenge Sandhagen.
An early takedown attempt by Figueiredo was quickly defended by Sandhagen, who then landed effective ground and pound. Even as Figueiredo attempted to maintain position for a submission, Sandhagen`s size and reach allowed him space to deliver powerful strikes from top control.
Figueiredo landed a solid right hand in the second round that got Sandhagen`s attention, but this success was brief. The Brazilian soon returned to attempting grappling. Sandhagen quickly reversed positions and constantly scrambled to avoid dangerous situations, while effectively striking Figueiredo at every opportunity.
Despite his persistent efforts, Figueiredo struggled to pose a significant threat to Sandhagen on the ground, continually grabbing at legs in search of a submission. Sandhagen remained composed, consistently finding ways to escape danger and punishing Figueiredo with strikes.
The final grappling exchange saw their legs entangled once more. This time, Sandhagen capitalized with the roll to sit up, which apparently caused Figueiredo`s knee to pop. Sandhagen began landing punches, but recognized Figueiredo`s injury immediately as the tap followed swiftly.
This victory was crucial for Sandhagen, especially following his previous loss to Umar Nurmagomedov.
“Nothing fires you up like a loss,” Sandhagen remarked. “I got a really good team behind me. I’m going to be champ one day. I’ve just got to keep working, working, working. That was a big ‘W’ for me. I’m just grateful for it.”
With this significant win, Sandhagen believes he is perfectly positioned for the next shot at the UFC Bantamweight title. The championship is currently held by Merab Dvalishvili, who is scheduled to defend against Sean O’Malley in June at UFC 316.
Sandhagen directly called out the division`s top contenders: “Sean O’Malley, Merab, I want the winner. I’ll be the backup if they want. I’ve dreamed of being a world champion for more than half of my life now. UFC, please give me an opportunity to show how great I am to the whole world, Please.”
