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Cory Sandhagen and former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will headline UFC on ESPN 67 on May 3. It will be the first time the promotion travels to Iowa in 25 years, and 'The Sandman' is planning on delivering a performance that fans from the 'Hawkeye State' can talk about for another 25 years.
Figueiredo moved to bantamweight in 2023 and has since recorded three wins and one defeat. He most recently lost to former 135-pound champion Petr Yan in a competitive contest at UFC Fight Night 248. He currently occupies the No.5 ranking in the division, and will be hoping to overtake Sandhagen, who sits at No.4, when they meet in May.
Both fighters are immensely well-rounded, but the American believes that his upcoming opponent's fighting style will play into the hands of 'The Sandman'. The 32-year-old recently discussed his clash with 'Deus Da Guerra' during an interview with James Lynch, where he said:
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"I really like the fight. I do well against guys that fight like [Figueiredo]. I can look really good against a guy like Figgy. I can really let all my skillsets shine against a guy like Figgy. I love the fight, I've been training for obviously a few weeks now to get ready for it. Things are going great. I'm super excited."
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Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below (3:50):
Ex-UFC champion names Cory Sandhagen as the man to dethrone Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O'Malley, arguably the division's best striker, to win the title at Noche UFC 306. Dvalishvili then dominated Nurmagomedov, who many believed would defeat the Georgian, at UFC 311.
But according to former UFC two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, Cory Sandhagen could be the man to topple 'The Machine'. Cejudo was recently interviewed by Home of Fight, where he said:
"I think the person that they should give [Dvalishvili] is Sandhagen. That fight with Sandhagen makes a lot of sense. Sandhagen could potentially beat him, dude. That little move to the side, you follow and he throws a knee. Bro, Sandhagen is tricky. I still think Merab beats him, but he has the tools to really shut out Merab's lights."
Check out Henry Cejudo discuss Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen below (12:25):
