ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – AUGUST 03: Cory Sandhagen stands in his corner before facing Umar … More
Two veteran combatants coming off high-profile losses headline this week’s UFC fight card, UFC Des Moines. In the main event of the UFC Fight Night card, former interim UFC bantamweight title challenger Cory Sandhagen faces ex-UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a 135-pound matchup. In the intriguing co-main event, Reiner de Ridder faces Bo Nickal in a middleweight contest that will leave one fighter with their first loss under the UFC banner. Below, we look at the full fight card for UFC Des Moines.
The Saturday, May 3 fight card from Wells Fargo Arena marks the UFC’s first visit to Iowa since 2000.
UFC Des Moines main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims onESPN+.
UFC Des Moines Full Fight Card
UFC Des Moines Main Fight Card
Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal
Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos
Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidey
Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones
UFC Des Moines Preliminary Fight Card
Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate
Ryan Loder vs. Azamat Bekoev
Marina Rodriguez vs. Gillian Robertson
Gaston Bolaños vs. Quang Le
Thomas Petersen vs. Don’Tale Mayes
Juliana Miller vs. Ivana Petrović
UFC Des Moines Fight Card Date:
Saturday, May 3
UFC Des Moines Fight Card Time:
Prelims: 7:00 p.m. ET
Main Card: 10:00 p.m. ET
UFC Des Moines Fight Card Location:
Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, IA
UFC Des Moines Fight Card How To Watch Or Stream:
Prelims: ESPN+
Main Card: ESPN2
UFC Des Moines Fight Card: Cory Sandhagen
Cory Sandhagen (17-5) joined the UFC in 2018 with a 7-1 record. He went unbeaten in his first five fights with the promotion. That run, culminating with decision wins over John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao, earned the then 28-year-old the No. 4 ranking in the UFC’s 135 weight class and a matchup against the No. 2 ranked Aljamain Sterling.
The slick Sterling submitted Sandhagen in the first round, earning himself a shot at the UFC bantamweight title, a belt he won in his next outing. As for Sandhagen, the submission setback did not hurt him in the rankings, as he remained at No. 4.
Following his first UFC loss, the UFC booked Sandhagen against the No. 1 ranked Marlon Moraes. Sandhagen won that fight and a “Performance of the Night” bonus with a highlight-reel spinning wheel kick KO.
That stunning stoppage earned Sandhagen the No. 2 ranking in the division and a fight against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout. He again earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his effort.
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – AUGUST 03: (R-L) Cory Sandhagen kicks Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia … More
A decision loss to former UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw followed Sandhagen’s win over Edgar. He then faced ex-135-pound champ Petr Yan for the interim UFC bantamweight belt in October 2021. The scrap was “Fight of the Night” on the UFC 267 pay-per-view card, but Yan picked up the victory and the belt via unanimous decision.
Following that setback, Sandhagen, who is now 33, was on a three-fight winning streak with victories over Song Yadong, Marlon “Chito” Vera, and Rob Font. Sandhagen saw that run come to a halt in August 2024 when he dropped a decision to Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight title eliminator.
Sandhagen is the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings.
UFC Des Moines Fight Card: Deiveson Figueiredo
Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) is a former two-time UFC flyweight champion. The 36-year-old first claimed UFC gold in July 2020 when he scored a submission over Joseph Benavidez. He defended the title twice, beating Alex Perez and fighting Brandon Moreno to a draw. Figueiredo surrendered the belt to Moreno in a June 2021 rematch, losing by submission.
Figueiredo regained the 125-pound title in January 2020 when he defeated Moreno via decision. The two met for a fourth time in January 2023. Moreno regained the belt in that matchup, winning via doctor stoppage TKO.
MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: Deiveson Figueiredo of Brazil stands in his corner before his … More
The loss to Moreno was Figueiredo’s final fight at 125 pounds. The 36-year-old moved up to bantamweight in December 2023, defeating Rob Font by decision in that scrap. After that, Figueiredo picked up two more wins at 135, submitting former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt and beating recent UFC title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera by decision in August.
Figueiredo’s winning ways ended in November when he lost to former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan via decision.
Figueiredo enters UFC Des Moines as the No. 5 fighter in the UFC’s bantamweight division.
We will have more on the UFC Des Moines fight card as fight night approaches.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/trentreinsmith/2025/04/28/ufc-des-moines-2025-sandhagen-vs-figueiredo-full-fight-card/