The UFC brings their next event to Des Moines for a huge card, for just their third trip to Iowa in 25 years.
With Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo both coming into this fight after devastating losses, they will be more motivated than ever to jump back into title contention with a victory.
Sandhagen recently lost to Umar Nurmagomedov, while Petr Yan beat Figueiredo to end his three-fight win streak before this main event clash in Des Moines.
Elsewhere, the co-main event sees Reinier de Ridder and Bo Nickal putting their undefeated records on the line in a Middleweight encounter.
de Ridder is 13th in the rankings, so Nickal will be hoping to leapfrog him into the top 15 with a win, which would be his fifth straight victory since debuting in the UFC.
Ahead of UFC Des Moines, the experts at Bloody Elbow have made their staff picks for the two main event fights, as well as the Performance of the Night and their Fight of the Night.
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Cory Sandhagen vs Deiveson Figueiredo prediction
- Jordan Ellis – Cory Sandhagen
- Kyle Dimond – Cory Sandhagen
- Jamie Theodosi – Cory Sandhagen
- Donagh Corby – Deiveson Figueiredo
The Bloody Elbow experts can’t agree on who will win the UFC Des Moines main event. Jordan, Kyle and Jamie are backing Sandhagen to beat two-time Flyweight champion Figueiredo as he looks to return to title contention.
With the pair sitting 4th and 5th in the rankings, respectively, it should be a competitive fight that could go anybody’s way. With Sandhagen looking bounce back after his defeat for Nurmagomedov, this could be one of his last chances to get himself into title contention.
Donagh doesn’t think he will though. He is backing Figueiredo to win the fight and leapfrog Sandhagen in the Bantamweight rankings. As a former champion, he knows what it takes to be the best and will be looking to add to his 24 career wins in Des Moines.
Bo Nickal vs Reinier de Ridder predictions
- Jordan Ellis – Bo Nickal
- Kyle Dimond – Bo Nickal
- Jamie Theodosi – Bo Nickal
- Donagh Corby – Bo Nickal
This fight seems clear cut, according to the Bloody Elbow experts. They all can’t look past Nickal, who impressed in his first four fights in the UFC so far.
With Nickal’s two submission and one knockout win in four, he looks to be a dominant force in the Middleweight division and a future title challenger.
While the Dutchman is on a two-fight winning streak of his own since debuting in UFC last year, the 34-year-old simply doesn’t look like he has what it takes to give Nickal his first loss in his professional career.
Fight of the Night
- Jordan Ellis – Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Kyle Dimond – Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones
- Jamie Theodosi – Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones
- Donagh Corby – Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Two fights stick out to the Bloody Elbow experts as being the ones to watch on Saturday night. Jordan and Donagh both think that Santiago Ponzinibbio fight with Daniel Rodriguez is the ones fans will be talking about once the event is finished
The two veteran welterweights are stalwarts of the division, but have struggled to impress over the past few years. With both men winning and losing with spectacular knockouts in the past, this fight has the potential to be the most exciting on the UFC Des Moines card.
However, Jamie and Kyle think that Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones is the one to look out for. Iowa native Stephens will compete on home turf, four years after his last stint UFC appearance.
With Jones winning three of his last four fights via knockout, he could bring about a nasty end to the hometown favorite and extend his winning streak to 4.
Performer of the Night
- Jordan Ellis – Mason Jones
- Kyle Dimond – Smotherman
- Jamie Theodosi – Sandhagen
- Donagh Corby – Mason Jones
Three different choices for performer of the night shows the incredible depth of fighters on the UFC Des Moines card.
Jordan and Donagh are both backing the Welshman Jones to earn the $50,000 reward. He looks in good form to knock out Stephens, shocking the hometown crowd by beating him in Iowa in impressive fashion.
Elsewhere, Kyle thinks that Cameron Smotherman will impress against Serhiy Sidey in their Bantamweight clash. He is coming off a big win from his UFC debut and will hope to add to his record against the Ukrainian on Saturday.
Finally, Jamie is backing the main event to produce the best performance of the night. Sandhagen has a lot to prove going into his fight with Figueiredo and will have to put in a bonus-winning performance if he wants to put away the Brazilian in Des Moines.