DES MOINES, Iowa — Cory Sandhagen strutted out of the Wells Fargo Arena on May 3, 2025, with a grin that said he knew he’d just stolen the show. The Aurora, Colorado, bantamweight delivered a masterclass against former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night main event, only for the fight to end in a way nobody saw coming—a second-round tap-out caused by a gruesome knee injury to Figueiredo. Sandhagen, never one to mince words, called his performance “flawless” and made it clear he’s gunning for the bantamweight title next.
The fight was a high-stakes clash from the jump. Sandhagen, ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s bantamweight division, came off a unanimous decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov in August 2024. Figueiredo, a two-time flyweight champ who moved up to 135 pounds in 2023, was licking his wounds after a decision defeat to Petr Yan last November. Both men needed a win to claw back into the title picture. What unfolded was a showcase of Sandhagen’s precision and adaptability, cut short by a freak accident.
From the opening bell, Sandhagen looked like a man possessed. He peppered Figueiredo with leg kicks that snapped like whip cracks, forcing the Brazilian to rethink his approach. When Figueiredo shot for a takedown, Sandhagen stuffed it, flipping the script to land in top position. Figueiredo, known for his submission game, went hard for leg locks, but Sandhagen wasn’t having it. He rained down punches and elbows, turning Figueiredo’s face into a punching bag while dodging submission attempts. By the end of round one, Sandhagen had landed 31 significant strikes to Figueiredo’s measly two, according to UFC Stats.
Round two was more of the same, but weirder. Sandhagen kept up the pressure, slamming Figueiredo to the canvas with a double-leg takedown that drew gasps from the Iowa crowd. Figueiredo, stubborn as ever, went for another leg lock, tangling both fighters in a 50-50 position—a risky grappling spot where both guys hunt for submissions. That’s when it happened. As Sandhagen scrambled to reverse position, Figueiredo’s left knee buckled in a way knees aren’t supposed to. The former champ screamed, tapped out, and flopped to the mat, clutching his leg. Referee Dan Miragliotta waved it off at 4:08 of the second round, ruling it a TKO due to injury.
Sandhagen didn’t blink. In his post-fight interview, he shrugged off any notion the win was a fluke. “If you don’t know how to play 50-50, your knee gets popped,” he said, his voice dripping with confidence. He insisted the injury came from his own maneuvering, not some random mishap. “I sat up hard, and he didn’t sit back. That’s how it goes.” The stats backed him up: Sandhagen out-struck Figueiredo 92-8 across the fight, landing four times as many significant strikes per minute.
The victory marked Sandhagen’s 18th career win, improving his UFC record to 11-4. For Figueiredo, it was a bitter pill—his second straight loss at bantamweight, dropping his record to 24-5-1. The Brazilian was carted out of the arena, his knee immobilized, with no immediate word on the injury’s severity. Sandhagen, meanwhile, wasted no time staking his claim. He called for a title shot against the winner of the June 7, 2025, bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, even offering to play backup for the bout. “I’ve dreamed of being a world champion for more than half my life,” he said. “UFC, please, give me that shot.”
The Des Moines event, the UFC’s first in Iowa since June 2000, drew a packed house at Wells Fargo Arena. The card wasn’t without hiccups—two fights, including a bantamweight bout between Marlon Vera and Mario Bautista, were scrapped or moved to UFC 316 for undisclosed reasons. A featherweight clash between Trevor Peek and Lee Jeong-yeong also got nixed after Peek fractured his leg in April. Still, Sandhagen’s performance was the night’s loudest note, a reminder of why he’s been a perennial contender despite never quite grabbing the belt.
Sandhagen, 33, has been here before. He’s dropped title eliminators to Aljamain Sterling in 2020 and Nurmagomedov last year, plus an interim title bout to Petr Yan in 2021. Each loss stung, but he’s bounced back every time. Figueiredo, 36, faces a tougher road. The knee injury could sideline him for months, and back-to-back losses don’t help his case in a stacked division. For now, Sandhagen’s the one with momentum, his sights locked on gold.
The fight ended at 4:08 of round two via TKO. Sandhagen landed 92 total strikes to Figueiredo’s 8. The event took place on May 3, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.