Cory
Sandhagen operated on a level to which Rob Font simply
could not rise.
Well-timed takedowns, suffocating control and mild ground-and-pound
spurred “The Sandman” to a unanimous decision over Font in the
UFC on ESPN 50 headliner, as he took another step forward in
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division on
Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. All three
judges scored it 50-45 for Sandhagen (17-4, 10-3 UFC).
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A late-notice replacement for Umar
Nurmagomedov, Font (20-7, 10-6 UFC) made almost no headway.
Sandhagen executed two takedowns in the first round, incorporated
some ground-and-pound elbows and put a serious dent in his
opponent’s resolve. The scene repeated itself again and again over
the next 20 minutes. The flummoxed Font managed to get back to his
feet late in rounds but appeared too tired and frustrated to offer
a meaningful retort. Sandhagen completed his final takedown some 90
seconds into Round 5 and eventually framed a brabo choke, but when
those efforts failed to produce a finish, he was content to settle
for the decision.
Now on a run of three consecutive victories, Sandhagen may have
positioned himself as the No. 1 contender in waiting at 135
pounds.
Suarez Guillotine Dismisses Andrade
“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 winner Tatiana
Suarez kept her perfect professional record intact, as the
burgeoning Millennia MMA star subdued Jessica
Andrade with
a guillotine choke in the second round of their women’s strawweight
co-main event. A short-notice replacement for Virna
Jandiroba, Andrade (24-11, 15-10 UFC) conceded defeat 1:31 into
Round 2.
Suarez (10-0, 7-0 UFC) played it safe for much of the first round,
though she managed to complete a takedown and scored with body
kicks, jabs and knees to the head at various points. She was far
more decisive in the middle stanza. There, she took down Andrade
inside the first 50 seconds and caught the guillotine on an ensuing
scramble.
Andrade will carry a three-fight losing streak into her next
assignment.
Jacoby Snipes Favored Nzechukwu
Factory X rep Dustin
Jacoby cut down fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate
Kennedy
Nzechukwu with punches in the first round of their light
heavyweight feature. Nzechukwu (12-4, 6-4 UFC) succumbed to blows
82 seconds into Round 1, putting a stop to his three-fight winning
streak.
Jacoby (19-7-1, 7-4-1 UFC) circled away from the physically
imposing 6-foot-5 Fortis MMA product and picked his shots with jabs
and leg kicks.
The two men exchanged punches at close range, and Nzechukwu hit the
deck on the end of a picture-perfect counter right cross. Jacoby
then followed up with rapid-fire hammerfists, prompting referee
Gary Copeland to act.
The victory was Jacoby’s first since July 16, 2022.
Lopes Taps Returning Tucker
Lobo Gym export Diego Lopes
dispatched ex-Extreme Cage Combat titleholder Gavin
Tucker with a triangle armbar in the first round of their
featherweight showcase. Competing for the first time in more than
two years, Tucker (13-3, 4-3 UFC) bowed out 1:38 into Round 1.
Lopes (22-6, 1-1 UFC) found an opening and capitalized. Tucker
swooped in on an attempted single-leg, only to be met by a flying
triangle from the Mexico-based Brazilian. Lopes initially appeared
to be closing in on the choke but recalibrated his efforts and
instead turned his focus to the triangle armbar.
He rolled into the maneuver, bent Tucker’s elbow beyond its bounds
and forced the Canadian to raise the white flag.
Tucker, 37, had never before been submitted.
High-Output Boser Tames Camur
Former Unified MMA champion Tanner
Boser excelled in the clinch and at range, as he was awarded a
unanimous verdict over Strong Style Fight Team’s Aleksa
Camur in a three-round light heavyweight attraction. All three
members of the judiciary struck 30-27 scorecards for Boser
(21-10-1, 5-5 UFC), who put an end to a two-fight losing
streak.
In his first outing since June 19, 2021, Camur (6-3, 1-3 UFC) could
not match the Canadian’s overwhelming volume in standup exchanges.
Boser rang his bell more than once with hook-heavy combinations and
opened multiple facial cuts with his work throughout the fight. He
changed his pace with timely clinches, at which point he uncorked
short-range elbows and punishing knee strikes. Camur held his own
for much of the third round, only to watch it slip away when “The
Bulldozer” cut loose with eight to 10 unasnwered hooks in the
center of the cage.
Camur has suffered three straight defeats.
Klein Slows Bahamondes’ Ascent
Spartakus Fight Gym standout Ludovit
Klein rebounded from a March 18 majority draw with Jai Herbert
and took a unanimous decision from Ignacio
Bahamondes in a three-round lightweight appetizer. Klein
(20-4-1, 4-2-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27, 29-28 and
29-28 marks from the cageside judges.
Bahamondes (14-5, 3-2 UFC) paid the price for failing to use his
height and reach advantages. Klein called upon crackling
combinations on the feet, mixed in takedowns at opportune times and
drew blood with some elbow-laced ground-and-pound. Bahamondes had
his moments—he connected with a beautiful knee strike up the middle
in the second round and threatened with a kneebar late in the
third—but did not make the necessary adjustments to turn the tide
in his favor. Klein cashed in on his shortcomings.
The loss closed the book on Bahamondes’ three-fight winning streak.