Cory Sandhagen is back on the path to the UFC championship, proving his worth in the main event of UFC Fight Night held on Saturday in Des Moines, Iowa.
The 33-year-old fighter, originally from Aurora, Colorado, delivered a dominant performance, finishing former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in the second round.
Sandhagen, after a loss last August against Umar Nurmagomedov, which interrupted a streak of three consecutive victories, is now poised to contend for the title.
From the start, Sandhagen (18-5) controlled the fight, largely thanks to Figueiredo’s questionable decisions. After an early exchange on the canvas, Figueiredo attempted a leg lock, leaving himself vulnerable to Sandhagen’s strikes.
In the first round, Sandhagen landed 31 significant strikes, compared to Figueiredo’s two (24-5-1).
The second round was even worse for Figueiredo, who again attempted a leg lock, entangling his own knee. Sandhagen took advantage of the situation, and the referee stopped the fight by TKO at 4:08 of the second round.
