Report – Deiveson Figueiredo headlines UFC Des Moines in fight with Cory Sandhagen in May
Former undisputed flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo is set to headline an upcoming UFC Fight Night Des Moines card against former bantamweight title challenger, Cory Sandhagen — in a high stakes pairing at 135lbs on May 3. at the Wells Fargo Arena in Iowa.
Figueiredo, the current number five ranked bantamweight contender, most recently headlined UFC Fight Night Macau last November against common-foe, former champion, Petr Yan in a one-sided unanimous decision loss over the course of five rounds.
As for perennial challenger, Sandhagen, the current number four rated challenger headlined UFC Fight Night Abu Dhabi last summer, suffering a comprehensive unanimous judging loss to most recent title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov.
News of Figueiredo’s return in a main event setting against Cory Sandhagen in Des Moines was first reported by Leo Guimaraes on social media this evening.
Deiveson Figueiredo headlines UFC Des Moines card against Cory Sandhagen
“UFC sets Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cory Sandhagen match for May 3.” Guimaraes posted on X. “The event does not yet have a defined location, but the expectation is that it will be in Des Moines, Iowa (USA). Fighters await position to find out whether the fight will last 3 or 5 rounds.”
Booking his second straight main event clash in his bantamweight run, Para fan-favorite, Figueiredo had previously landed an impressive three consecutive victories at the weight class since his move from the flyweight limit.
Debuting in a unanimous decision win over Rob Font, Figueiredo then submitted former bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300 last year, before taking home a unanimous decision win over former title challenger, Marlon Vera.
Competing for interim bantamweight spoils back in 2021, fan-favorite technician, Sandhagen saw his own impressive three-fight winning run halted in his loss to Nurmagomedov last summer.
In three back-to-back headlining affairs, Sandhagen finished incoming UFC Seattle headliner, Song Yadong, before taking in decision successes against the duo of Font and Vera.
