Cory
Sandhagen flexed the kind of all-terrain game that leads some
to view him as a future titleholder in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.
The
Elevation Fight Team star outclassed Marlon Vera
for the better part of 25 minutes, as he claimed a split decision
in the
UFC on ESPN 43 headliner on Saturday at the AT&T Center in
San Antonio. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee saw
it 50-45 and 49-46 for Sandhagen, while Joel Ojeda
cast a puzzling 48-47 scorecard for Vera.
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Sandhagen (16-4, 9-3 UFC) flummoxed “The Ultimate Fighter Latin
America” semifinalist with fluid stance switches and constant
lateral movement. He outstruck Vera across wide swaths of the
match—his right uppercut was particularly effective—and completed
takedowns in the first, second and fifth rounds, consolidating them
with positional control and ground-and-pound. Vera (20-8-1, 14-7
UFC) failed to get fully in gear until the waning moments of Round
5, where he connected with a standing elbow in the clinch and
followed it with a clean left hook. By then, it was a case of too
little too late.
Holm Overpowers Overmatched Santos
Jackson-Wink MMA mainstay Holly Holm
outgrappled ex-Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Yana Santos
to a clear-cut unanimous decision in their three-round women’s
bantamweight co-main event. Holm (15-6, 8-6 UFC) swept the
scorecards with 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from the cageside
judges. Santos (14-7, 4-4 UFC) tried to engage “The Preacher’s Daughter” in
the clinch but soon realized she was swimming against the current.
The stronger, more athletic Holm outmaneuvered her at close range,
then added takedowns to the equation. She was especially dominant
in the second round, where she put Santos on the canvas and passed
from one advantageous position to the next, scoring with
ground-and-pound from half guard, side control, the mounted
crucifix and full mount. Holm followed the same blueprint in Round
3, briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke and then resumed her
assault from top position.
The 41-year-old Holm has three of her last four fights.
Lingo Dispatches Replacement Lingo
Former M-1 Global champion Nate
Landwehr put away Fortis MMA representative Austin
Lingo with
a rear-naked choke in the second round of their action-packed
featherweight attraction. A short-notice substitution
for Alex
Caceres, Lingo (9-2, 2-2 UFC) bowed out 4:11 into Round 2.
Landwehr (17-4, 4-2 UFC) withstood his adversary’s advances in the
first round, along with an inadvertent clash of heads that resulted
in a cut near his right eye. The Tennessee native found another
gear in the middle stanza. There, he attacked Lingo’s body with
front kicks, buckled him with a head kick and turned up the heat
after securing a takedown. A blindside punch from behind sent the
Texan’s mouthpiece flying and resulted in his leaving his neck
exposed. Landwehr cinched the choke, cut off avenues of escape and
prompted the tapout.
The loss snapped Lingo’s modest two-fight winning streak.
Resurgent Barber Upends Lee
Team Alpha Male’s Maycee
Barber put her fourth straight win in the books with a
contentious split decision over onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance
titleholder Andrea Lee
in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. Judges Frank Collazo
and Dan Miragliotta scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Barber, while Lee
saw it 29-28 for Lee.
Neither woman truly seized the reins in a back-and-forth battle at
125 pounds. Lee (13-7, 5-5 UFC) completed all five of her attempted
takedowns and paired them with positional dominance and mild
ground-and-pound. Even so, Barber (12-2, 7-2 UFC) fought
effectively from her back. The standup was more of a stalemate. Lee
picked her shots from distance but often struggled with her
opponent’s aggression. Barber battered her body and arms with
kicks, mixed in the occasional combination and did enough to skate
by.
Lee has lost five of her last seven bouts.
Duraev Outhustles Rangy Njokuani
Early takedowns and superior output allowed former two-division
Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Albert
Duraev to eke out a split decision over Chidi
Njokuani in a three-round middleweight showcase. All thee
cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Lee for Njokuani,
Miragliotta and D’Amato for Duraev.
Njokuani (22-9, 2-2 UFC) failed to maximize his four-inch height
and five-inch reach advantages. Duraev (16-4, 2-1 UFC) executed two
takedowns in the first round, piled up some valuable control time
and forced his counterpart out of his comfort zone. When Njokuani
landed, he did so with authority, especially with body kicks.
However, the volume he needed simply was not there. Duraev pushed
him onto the back foot without much resistance, held his own in the
standup exchanges and walked away with his hand raised.
The 34-year-old Duraev has rattled off 11 wins across his past 12
appearances.
Pineda Guillotines Favored Lutz
Former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder Daniel
Pineda dispatched Dana White’s Contender Series graduate
Tucker
Lutz with
a guillotine choke in the second round of their featherweight
opener. Lutz (12-3, 1-2 UFC) conceded defeat 2:50 into
Round 2, suffering his second setback in as many outings.
In his first appearance since June 26, 2021, Pineda (28-14, 5-5
UFC) hacked away at the Ground Control rep’s lead leg with kicks
and sat him down with a counter right hook. It set the table for
what was to come. Pineda, 37, countered an attempted takedown with
a front headlock, hammered him with a close-range knee strike to
the face and eventually transitioned to the back. Lutz initiated a
scramble, wandered into the guillotine and raised the white flag
once it became clear there was no way out.
Pineda has secured all 28 of his victories by knockout, technical
knockout or submission.
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