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UFC Fight Night Predictions: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo Odds and Picks

The upcoming UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo will feature many of the top UFC bantamweights. In addition to the titular fight, the main card includes two other fights at 135 pounds. The legendary Miesha Tate will also compete on the prelims in her fifth fight since coming out of retirement.

An exciting night of fights is great news for MMA bettors. Keep reading to see the latest UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo odds for this weekend’s event. I will break down the latest odds from top UFC sportsbooks and give my predictions.

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo Card

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd, at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. See the table below for the latest UFC Fight Night odds, courtesy of BetUS.

Favorite	Underdog	Weight Class
Mason Jones (-550)	Jeremy Stephens (+399)	Lightweight
Serhiy Sidey (-130)	Cameron Smotherman (+110)	Bantamweight
Montel Jackson (-201)	Daniel Marcos (+167)	Bantamweight
Santiago Ponzinibbio (-120)	Daniel Rodriguez (+100)	Welterweight
Bo Nickal (-350)	Reinier de Ridder (+279)	Middleweight
Cory Sandhagen (-600)	Deiveson Figueiredo (+425)	Bantamweight

Mason Jones (-550) vs. Jeremy Stephens (+399)

This weekend’s UFC Fight Night card opens with a lightweight bout between Mason Jones (15-2) and Jeremy Stephens (29-21).

Jones went just 1-2-1 in his first stint in the UFC. After a four-fight stint with Cage Warriors, Jones is ready to make his return to the Octagon.

Stephens, on the other hand, is 15-18 in his UFC career. His contract expired in 2022, and Stephens signed with PFL, where he went 1-2 in his three appearances. He also spent time boxing, including going 3-0 in BKFC.

The “Lil’ Heathen” is a veteran with two decades of experience, which is significantly more than Jones. Both fighters have a lot to prove, but Jones is a heavy favorite for a reason. He is on the upswing of his career and appears to have learned from his struggles in his first stint in the UFC.

Serhiy Sidey (-130) vs. Cameron Smotherman (+110)

Up next is the first of three bantamweight fights on the main card. Serhiy Sidey (-130) is a slight favorite over Cameron Smotherman (+110) this weekend. Sidey (11-2) is two inches taller than Smotherman (12-4), and he will have a three-inch reach advantage.

Despite being the smaller fighter, Smotherman should not be counted out in this fight. He lost in his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series, but was able to earn a UFC contract anyway. Smotherman won his UFC debut by unanimous decision against Jake Hadley.

Sidey, conversely, won in his DWCS appearance but lost in his Octagon debut by split decision. He bounced back in his second fight, taking out Garret Armfield in another split decision. He is one judge’s opinion away from being 2-0 or 0-2 in the UFC.

Secure sports betting sites have Sidey as a minor favorite. However, both fighters are young and have plenty to prove. If he can overcome the size disadvantage, Smotherman could easily pull off the upset on Saturday. 

Montel Jackson (-201) vs. Daniel Marcos (+167)

Another bantamweight scheduled for this weekend’s fight night is Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos. Jackson (14-2) has won five straight fights and is a -201 favorite to hand Marcos (17-0-1) his first professional loss. The undefeated Marcos is listed at +167 to pick up his 18th  win.

Marcos is 4-0-1 to start his career in the UFC. The only blemish on his record so far is a no-contest against Aoriqileng in a fight where both fighters committed fouls.

Jackson has also found plenty of success in the Octagon so far. He is 8-2 since making his UFC debut at UFC 227 in August 2018. Jackson’s two losses came against Ricky Simón and Brett Johns, both by unanimous decision.

Experience is not the only advantage Jackson has. He is large for the 135-pound weight class, standing at 5’10 with a 75.5” reach. For comparison, Marcos is 5’7 and has a 69.0” reach, putting him at a significant size disadvantage in this fight.

Santiago Ponzinibbio (-120) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (+100)

Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8) and Daniel Rodriguez (18-5) are also scheduled to square off on Saturday. Ponzinibbio is a -120 favorite over Rodriguez (+100) in this welterweight fight. These fighters are desperate for wins after struggling in their recent outings.

Once a promising, rising star at 170 pounds, Ponzinibbio has only won three fights this decade. Ponzinibbio is 2-4 in his last six fights, and only one of those wins came at welterweight. His win over Alex Morono at UFC 282 came at a catchweight of 180 pounds. 

Likewise, Rodriguez has also stumbled in his recent fights. He beat Morono in October, which ended a three-fight skid that included losses against Kelvin Gastelum, Ian Machado Garry, and Neil Magny.

Ponzinibbio and Rodriguez have multiple mutual opponents, including wins over Morono. Rodriguez beat Jingliang Li, who took down Ponzinibbio by TKO in round one. On the other hand, Ponzinibbio defeated Magny in a four-round battle, but Magny submitted Rodriguez in the third round of their 2022 fight.  

Bo Nickal (-350) vs. Reinier de Ridder (+279)

The co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night is a middleweight battle between Bo Nickal (7-0) and Reinier de Ridder (19-2). BetUS has Nickal as a -350 favorite to hand de Ridder his third career loss. The Dutchman is a +279 underdog in the latest MMA odds.

A majority of this fight will likely be spent on the mat. Nickal is a gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and has earned four of his seven career wins by submission. Similarly, de Ridder has 14 career wins by submission, including nine in the first round.

Nickal is undefeated, but he is also at a significant experience disadvantage. de Ridder has lost twice, with both losses coming by knockout at the hands of Anatoly Malykhin. Since moving to the UFC, de Ridder is 2-0, securing submission wins over Gerald Meerschaert and Kevin Holland.

A submission exhibition is not the most exciting fight on paper. However, with two fighters this skilled on the ground, Nickal vs. de Ridder could be the Fight of the Night.

Cory Sandhagen (-600) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (+425)

The main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night is a bantamweight fight pitting Cory Sandhagen against Deiveson Figueiredo. Both fighters are 3-2 in their last five fights, but “The Sandman” is a -600 favorite in this five-round fight.

After going 1-2-1 in his four-fight series with Brandon Moreno for the Flyweight Championship, Figueiredo moved up to bantamweight. Since moving up to 135 pounds, Figueiredo reeled off three straight wins, but his streak ended in November with a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan.

Sandhagen is also coming off a loss, falling by UD to Umar Nurmagomedov last August. Like Figueiredo, Sandhagen lost to Yan by UD in their fight at UFC 267. Between his loss to Nurmagomedov and Yan, “The Sandman” defeated Song Yadong, Marlon Vera, and Rob Font.

Figueiredo is six inches shorter than Sandhagen but only gives up a two-inch reach disadvantage. His best chance to secure the upset in Iowa is to force the fight to the ground, minimizing Sandhagen’s size advantage and allowing Figueiredo to use his elite grappling skills. 

UFC Fight Night Predictions

This weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo has six exciting main card fights. Here are my predictions for this Saturday’s main card bouts.

• Mason Jones (-550) defeats Jeremy Stephens
• Cameron Smotherman (+110) defeats Serhiy Sidey
• Montel Jackson (-201) defeats Daniel Marcos
• Daniel Rodriguez (+100) defeats Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Bo Nickal (-350) defeats Reinier de Ridder
• Cory Sandhagen (-600) defeats Deiveson Figueiredo

Jones and Stephens are both searching for a win in their return to the Octagon, but I think “The Dragon” will be the one getting his hand raised. Likewise, I am sticking with the favorites in Jackson (-201) vs. Marcos, Nickal (-350) vs. de Ridder, and Sandhagen (-600) vs. Figueiredo.

The two upsets I am predicting for Saturday are Smotherman (+110) over Sidey and Rodriguez (+100) to beat Ponzinibbio. Smotherman possesses knockout power and has a better record in fights that go the distance. Likewise, I believe Rodriguez will overcome the odds and take down the veteran Ponzinibbio.

How to Bet on UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo

The odds for this weekend’s UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo offer tons of exciting betting markets for MMA fans to take advantage of. Read our free guide above to see the latest betting odds for Saturday’s UFC main card fights.

After reading my UFC predictions, register your BetUS account today to start wagering on your Fight Night predictions. New members who deposit with crypto can claim the 125% welcome bonus on each of their first three deposits.