Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo to headline first-ever UFC Fight Night in Des Moines
Get ready, fight fans in the midwest. The UFC is heading your way.
The promotion announced on Wednesday that it’ll be making its first-ever trip to Des Moines, Iowa, for a Fight Night card headlined by ranked bantamweight contenders Cory Sandhagen (No. 4) and Deiveson Figueiredo (No. 5) on May 3.
It’ll also be the UFC’s first trip to the state of Iowa in 25 years.
The main event bout will be Sandhagen’s return to an octagon for the first time since dropping a decision to recent title-challenger Umar Nurmagomedov last August. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the “Sandman.” He’ll look to improve upon his 17-5 record under the banner.
Sandhagen’s Brazilian counterpart will also be looking to get back in the win column come May. Figueiredo enters the matchup following a decision loss to former 135-pound champion Petr Yan. Like Sandhagen, the loss put an end to a three-fight win streak for “Deus Da Guerra.” He enters the matchup with a 13-4 record in the UFC.
Beyond the headliner, the UFC announced two more bouts for the event at Wells Fargo Arena. The co-main event will be a middleweight bout between undefeated rising talent Bo Nickal and No. 13-ranked Reinier De Ridder.
Nickal may be entering the matchup with a perfect 4-0 record since his UFC debut, but De Ridder will undoubtedly be his toughest challenge to date. Since joining the UFC roster last year, the former two-division champion with ONE Championship is 2-0.
Meanwhile, the card will also feature the return of Jeremy Stephens in a lightweight fight against Mason Jones. “Lil’ Heathen,” a native of Iowa, hasn’t fought in the UFC since 2021. He left the promotion after losing four bouts in a row and six of his last seven, split up by a no-contest in between. His most recent appearance came with BKFC where he earned a stoppage win over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
Similarly, Jones will make his return to the promotion for the first time since 2022. He’s been fighting under the Cage Warriors banner since and enters the matchup riding a four-fight win streak in MMA.
The last time the UFC hosted an event in Iowa was UFC 26 in 2000.
