Cory Sandhagen made his case for a championship opportunity with a second-round finish over Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of Saturday’s UFC return to Iowa.

The Colorado native came out with less movement and more aggression than in previous outings, showing more snap on his punches and clearly looking to land with greater force as he worked from top position while Figueiredo unwisely continued to hunt for leg locks from his back. The same rhythm carried over into the second round, with Figueiredo continuing to pursue leg locks, and Sandhagen hammering away with strikes before the two got twisted into a 50/50 position late in the frame.

As Sandhagen shifted his weight forward, forcing Figueiredo to the canvas, the Brazilian writhed in pain, eventually tapping out as Sandhagen rained down blows. As soon as the fight was halted, it became clear that the former flyweight champion had suffered a knee injury as a result of getting tangled up and forced backwards over his knee in the final entanglement.

Following the victory, Sandhagen lobbied for the chance to face the winner of the upcoming bantamweight title rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, volunteering to serve as the backup for the early June pay-per-view main event.

Whether that happens or not, Saturday’s effort cemented “The Sandman” as a legitimate championship threat in the talent-rich 135-pound ranks, and it will be interesting to see how the UFC opts to line things up heading into UFC 316 and what should be a heated summer in the bantamweight division.

STATEMENT WIN FOR REINIER DE RIDDER

Dutch middleweight Reinier de Ridder collected his third straight UFC win and third consecutive finish on Saturday night, stopping standout prospect Bo Nickal less than two minutes into the second round.

The former ONE Championship two-division titleholder had positive moments in the first, including attacking the body, reversing into top position when the two hit the canvas, and eventually taking Nickal down as well. At the end of the first, Nickal looked a little flustered, and de Ridder capitalized on that immediately when the second began.

He pushed across the Octagon and started attacking the body with knees and short punches, clearly landing with force and chipping away at the undefeated hopeful’s energy reserves and will. With Nickal clearly fading, de Ridder stepped into a left knee, driving it into his opponent’s belly, causing him to collapse to the canvas and the fight to be stopped.

This was a statement effort for the 34-year-old from Holland, who had a ton of success outside the UFC and was clearly unbothered by the hype surrounding Nickal heading into this one. Already stationed in the Top 15, a date with someone inside the Top 10 would make sense after a win of this magnitude, and would present an opportunity for de Ridder to truly establish himself as a championship threat in the 185-pound weight class should he continue stacking up stoppage victories.

A TACTICAL DECISION MAY HAVE COST TATE

Yana Santos scored a unanimous decision win over Miesha Tate to close out the prelims in a bout where the former champion might have made a tactical error that ultimately cost her.

After Santos controlled the first two rounds with her striking and takedown defense, Tate was able to drag her to the canvas early in the third, but after softening the Russian up with strikes, she took Santos’ back when she offered it up, spending the remainder of the round hunting unsuccessfully for the finish she needed. On the broadcast, Michael Bisping and Paul Felder each pointed out that Tate may have been better suited to stay in mount landing blows, as Santos was able to defend the submissions and survive to the final horn.

It’s an interesting point to consider, as at the elite level, the ability to defend chokes and avoid danger in those back-mount situations is high, while a string of unanswered blows from mount are more likely to bring the referee in to halt the action. This was a very good win for Santos, and a third round that is worth further examination from a decision-making standpoint for coaches and athletes alike.

ROBERTSON CONTINUES ROLLING

Canadian Gillian Robertson rolled to her fourth straight victory on Saturday night, collecting a second-round stoppage win over Brazilian veteran Marina Rodriguez.

The Niagara Falls, Ont., native, who fights out of Port Lucie, Florida, took the fight to the canvas early in the first and kept Rodriguez stapled to the canvas playing defence for the remainder of the round. In the second, Robertson was on the offensive even quicker, climbing to mount after once again forcing her opponent to the ground, where she fired off a string of heavy, unanswered blows that brought about the stoppage.

Robertson was extremely green when she first arrived in the UFC, but has steadily added to her skill set and developed as a fighter, improving her hands and takedown setups to become a more fully formed threat. This win should elevate her into the Top 10 when the rankings update next week, and her callout of former title challenger Amanda Lemos felt like a good name to target following Saturday’s outstanding effort.

Following the bout, Rodriguez announced her retirement from MMA, walking away with a 7-6-2 record in the UFC and 17-6-2 mark overall.

Daniel Rodriguez picked up his second straight win and first finish since July 2021 on Saturday, stopping fellow veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio with a sharp combo early in the third round. “D-Rod” has been a staple in the “Second 15” since arriving in the UFC, and feels poised to be stationed against an ascending name or ranked veteran next time out after collecting a quality win this weekend.

Make it six straight for Montel Jackson, as the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate earned a clean sweep of the scorecards in a largely uneventful clash with Daniel Marcos. The 33-year-old has an abundance of tools and scored consecutive knockout wins ahead of this one, and should maintain his place in the Top 15 by keeping things moving in the right direction this weekend.

Serhiy Sidey picked up his second straight victory in Des Moines, outworking fellow bantamweight prospect Cameron Smotherman in a competitive main card clash. The Burlington native was the sharper and more active of the two throughout, flashing quick hands and good timing, using level-changes and takedowns to frequently stifle his opponent’s advances.

Mason Jones spoiled the UFC return and homecoming for Jeremy Stephens in the main card opener, getting the better of the striking exchanges through the first 10 minutes before turning to his wrestling to salt away the win. “The Dragon” went 1-2 with one no contest in his first UFC stint before earning a second opportunity with four straight wins under the Cage Warriors banner, and showed on Saturday that he’s matured and rounded out his game, while still bringing a ton of excitement every time he steps into the cage.

Keep your eye on Azamat Bekoev. The 29-year-old Russian collected a second straight first-round stoppage win on Saturday, battering TUF winner Ryan Loder along the fence to garner his eighth straight victory overall.

Outstanding performance from Quang Le to secure his first UFC win, as the Vietnamese bantamweight leaned on his edge in the grappling department to submit Gaston Bolanos in the second round. After a strong showing on short notice in his debut, Le was stopped and looked misplaced last time out, but his effort on Saturday reaffirmed his position as a solid addition to the 135-pound weight class.

Thomas Petersen manhandled Don’Tale Mayes for three rounds, wrestling him from start to finish to earn a clean sweep of the scorecards. It was a strong bounce-back effort for the former junior college national champion wrestler, who moved to 2-2 inside the Octagon with the victory.

Emotional win for TUF 30 strawweight winner Juliana Miller to open the show. The 28-year-old, who was returning to action for the first time since August 2023 following arm surgery, dedicated the unanimous decision win over Ivana Petrovic to her grandmother, with whom she was incredibly close with and who recently passed.