What’s next for Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo after UFC Des Moines?

The UFC was in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, May 3, for UFC Des Moines. In the main event, bantamweight contenders threw down as Cory Sandhagen took on Deiveson Figueiredo in a pivotal bout.

Entering the fight, Sandhagen was coming off a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, which snapped his three-fight winning streak. Figueiredo, meanwhile, was coming off a decision loss to Petr Yan, which was his first loss at bantamweight after going 3-0.

Ultimately, it was Sandhagen who won by second-round TKO due to a knee injury. Sandhagen dominated the fight, and he says it was his technique that caused the injury. Following UFC Des Moines, here is what I think should be next for the bantamweight contenders.

Cory Sandhagen

Cory Sandhagen entered UFC Des Moines as a sizeable favorite, and he was expected to go out there and dominate. Sandhagen did that as he controlled the fight, and as Figueiredo kept going after his leg for leg locks, he got up and down quickly, which popped Figueiredo’s knee, which ended the fight. Sandhagen is now 4-1 in his last five and is ranked fourth.

With the win, Sandhagen is closing in on a title shot. Merab Dvalishvili is set to take on Sean O’Malley in June for the title. Although Yan has a win over Sandhagen, he has lost to Dvalishvili and O’Malley. He has also been rumored to be booked in another fight. So, if the timing works, Sandhagen should face the winner of Dvalishvili vs O’Malley at the end of the year for the belt.

Deiveson Figueiredo

Deiveson Figueiredo has now lost back-to-back fights, and at age 37, how much longer he has in the sport is to be seen.

Figueiredo will need to help up his knee, as it’s uncertain how long he will be out. The Brazilian should stay at bantamweight, as cutting down to flyweight is tough. So, once he’s healthy, he should be involved in fun fights. A logical next fight is to face Henry Cejudo, as the storyline is there as former flyweight champs who are both struggling.