UFC Des Moines: Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo full card picks & predictions

The UFC stays on the road this week for UFC Fight Night Des Moines, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 12 fights on the card.

UFC Des Moines is headlined by top-ranked bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen and former Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who went 3-0 after moving up to bantamweight before he ran into former titleholder Petr Yan last November.

The co-main event will see Bo Nickal try to extend his undefeated record against former ONE Championship star Reinier de Ridder in a fight that should provide the biggest test of Nickal’s MMA career thus far.

Official poster for UFC Des Moines. | (Zuffa LLC)

UFC Des Moines Main Card Predictions

Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Cory Sandhagen (red gloves) fights Rob Font (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Bridgestone Arena. | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

There’s always the chance that Figueiredo is able to connect with something big and put Sandhagen’s lights out, but if “Sandman” gets to control the pace of this fight then it could end up being a fairly lopsided win for him.

(Pick: Sandhagen)

Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal

Bo Nickal (red gloves) fights Paul Craig in the middleweight bout during UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

De Ridder’s size advantage and submission skills could make this fight very interesting if it ends up on the ground, but I expect that Nickal will put in a similar performance to his last outing against Paul Craig and do enough to win the fight on the feet.

(Pick: Nickal)

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez (red gloves) prepares to fight Ian Garry (blue gloves) in a welterweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Spectrum Center. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This fight would have been quite a bit more interesting a few years ago, and even though Ponzinibbio is coming off a comeback win over Carlston Harris it feels like Rodriguez probably still has more left in the tank at this stage of their respective careers.

(Pick: Rodriguez)

Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos

Julio Arce (red gloves) and Montel Jackson (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. | Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

This might be the most underrated matchup on the card, and even though Marcos comes in with an undefeated record Jackson is on a great run and has the punching power necessary to stun “Soncora” in Des Moines.

(Pick: Jackson)

Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidey

Serhiy Sidey (red gloves) fights Garrett Armfield (blue gloves) in a bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. | Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Smotherman impressed in his promotional debut by defeating an experienced opponent in Jake Hadley, but I’m going to slightly lean with Sidey after the Canadian scored his first UFC win back in November.

(Pick: Sidey)

Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones

Mason Jones (red gloves) before his fight against Ludovit Klein (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at O2 Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

I’m happy to see Jones back in the UFC, and while I don’t love how lopsided the current betting line is Stephens was a career featherweight and doesn’t need to be here outside of the opportunity to fight in his hometown.

(Pick: Jones)

UFC Des Moines Preliminary Card Predictions

Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate

Holly Holm (red gloves) fights Yana Santos (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at AT&T Center. | Aaron Meullion-Imagn Images

Santos hasn’t found much success in the last few years, but hearing Tate already talking about the prospect of fighting Kayla Harrison makes me feel like “Cupcake” is getting far too ahead of herself.

(Pick: Santos)

Azamat Bekoev vs. Ryan Loder

Zachary Reese (red gloves) fights Azamat Bekoev (blue gloves) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This is another underrated matchup at UFC Des Moines, and while Loder could certainly score the upset Bekoev is a dangerous finisher with considerably more MMA experience.

(Pick: Bekoev)

Marina Rodriguez vs. Gillian Robertson

Michelle Waterson-Gomez (red gloves) fights Gillian Robertson (blue gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

I think the betting line is a little bit off here given that a Robertson win will almost certainly be contingent on her getting the fight to the ground, but I’ll still side with the Canadian to score her third-straight win against Rodriguez.

(Pick: Robertson)

Gaston Bolaños vs. Quang Le

Quang Le of Vietnam punches Chris Gutierrez in a bantamweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. | (Al Powers/Zuffa LLC)

Le’s had a tough go of it in the UFC thus far, but this matchup with Bolaños looks like a good chance for “Bang” to get back on track and score his first Octagon victory.

(Pick: Le)

Don'Tale Mayes vs. Thomas Petersen

Thomas Petersen during his fight with Jamal Pogues. | (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Mayes is currently on a 2-4 run dating back to 2023, and while Petersen has also been less than convincing since joining the UFC the 30-year-old should be able to even out his promotional record against Mayes.

(Pick: Petersen)

Juliana Miller vs. Ivana Petrović

Ivana Petrovic (blue gloves) and Jamey-Lyn Horth (red gloves) fight in a flyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. | Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

This should be a last-chance opportunity for both women, and while Miller could find a path to victory on the ground I have to side with the more experienced Petrović.

(Pick: Petrović)

MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Fight Night Des Moines all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage for a preview of the event as well as live results and highlights on fight night.

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