The Octagon is coming to DES MOINES
🚨@CorySandhagenx
vs @Daico_Deiveson
headlines the first ever
#UFCDesMoines!🎟️ Tickets on sale March 21#LiveFromDSM
|
#WellsFargoArena | @IAEventsCenter
pic.twitter.com/Vz5wMmwVbG— UFC (@ufc)
March 13, 2025
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The
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s first-ever trip to Des Moines
has picked up a couple of intriguing bouts.
The promotion on Wednesday announced that Bo Nickal
will square off against Reinier
de Ridder at middleweight, while Jeremy
Stephens will return to the Octagon to face Mason Jones
at lightweight on May 3 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
UFC Des Moines is headlined by a bantamweight tilt pitting
Cory
Sandhagen against Deiveson
Figueiredo.
Nickal has kicked off his professional MMA tenure with seven
straight triumphs, including four in UFC competition. Most
recently, the former Penn State University national champion
wrestler defeated Paul Craig
via unanimous decision at UFC 309 this past November.
A former two-division title holder with ONE
Championship, de Ridder has started his UFC career with
back-to-back submission victories over Gerald
Meerschaert and Kevin
Holland. “The Dutch Knight” owns a 19-2 career mark, with 13 of
those triumphs coming by way of submission.
Stephens will be making his first Octagon appearance since July
2021. The Iowa native as winless in his last six UFC outings before
signing with
Professional Fighters League, where he went 1-2 in 2022. More
recently, “Lil Heathen” has competed in both boxing and bare
knuckle boxing — including a corner stoppage of Eddie
Alvarez at BKFC Knuckle Mania 5 on Jan. 25.
Jones will also be making his UFC return in Des Moines. “The
Dragon” went 1-2 with one no contest in the promotion from 2021 to
2022, but he has since rebounded to win four consecutive fights
under the
Cage Warriors banner.