Pros react after Cory Sandhagen stops Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines

Tonight’s UFC Des Moines fight card was headlined by a key men’s bantamweight matchup between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo.

Sandhagen (18-5 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since suffering a decision loss at the hands of Umar Nurmagomedov this past August in Abu Dhabi. Prior to that setback, ‘The Sandman’ had strung together a three-fight winning streak, which included a TKO victory over Song Yadong.

Meanwhile, Deiveson Figueiredo (24-5-1 MMA) had also entered tonight’s headliner looking to rebound, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to former bantamweight champion Petr Yan in his most previous Octagon appearance last November. Prior to that defeat, ‘Daico’ had posted three victories in a row, which included a submission win over Cody Garbrandt at UFC 300.

Tonight’s UFC Des Moines main event begins resulted in an extremely impressive showing from Cory Sandhagen. After landing some solid low kicks and jabs in the opening couple of minutes, ‘The Sandman’ promptly took the fight to the floor and landed some solid ground and pound before the horn sounded to end the opening round. Then, in round two, Sandhagen once again got Deiveson Figueiredo to the floor and wound up finishing him with a knee bar submission hold. The bout was ruled a TKO stoppage due to injury, but there was no doubt that ‘Figgy’ tapped from the leg lock.

Official UFC Des Moines Results: Cory Sandhagen def. Deiveson Figueiredo via TKO (knee injury) at 4:08 of Round 2

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo’ below:

10-9 Sandhagen.

Figueiredo tried to initiate the grappling and Sandhagen made him pay

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 4, 2025

Michael Bisping says that was "amateur hour" from Figgy 😅

— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) May 4, 2025

Post-fight reactions to Cory Sandhagen defeating Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Des Moines:

Absolute masterclass from Cory Sandhagen tonight and his next fight could be the undisputed championship bout that had eluded him.

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 4, 2025

Give Cory the next title shot!!! Dominant #UFCDesMoines

— Brandon (@brandonroyval) May 4, 2025

Sandhagen is definitely title ready looked sharp as hell on the ground

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) May 4, 2025

Here is an explanation for why Sandhagen's win was a TKO result rather than submission. https://t.co/vtZczucFkV

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 4, 2025

He’s a G

— Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) May 4, 2025

Who would you like to see Cory Sandhagen fight next following his TKO victory over Deiveson Figueiredo this evening in Iowa?