UFC betting tips: Cory Sandhagen to neutralise Deiveson Figueiredo, and Bo Nickal to defeat Reiner de Ridder
The UFC Fight Night card in Des Moines, Iowa, goes down this Saturday and is headlined by two top bantamweight contenders looking to get back on track when Cory Sandhagen faces Deiveson Figueiredo.
In the co-main event, one of the most hyped prospects in MMA, Bo Nickal, faces the toughest test of his career so far when he takes on Reiner de Ridder.
In this article, Sports News Blitz’s MMA tipster Niall Togher previews both matchups and gives his predictions.
Cory Sandhagen (17-5, 10-4 UFC) vs Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1, 13-4-1 UFC)
Both Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo are entering their fight this weekend after suffering a loss.
Sandhagen lost to Umar Nurmagomedov in his last fight, whilst Figueiredo was defeated by Petr Yan.
However, both fighters remain ranked in the top five of the division and are the highest-ranked fighters in the division yet to face the current champion, Merab Dvalishvili, which could play into their hands.
An impressive performance this weekend could lead to the winner being in a number-one contender’s bout later this year.
In this matchup, if the fight goes past the first two rounds, then Cory Sandhagen will most likely win.
If Sandhagen can avoid the power of Figueiredo, he will be able to outpoint him with his superior volume at range.
Expect Sandhagen to chip away at Figueiredo early on with his jab, leg kicks and body shots before opening up with his unconventional spinning kicks and flying knees as the fight goes on.
Figueiredo is a low-volume fighter compared to Sandhagen, as previously mentioned.
Therefore, the constant stance switching and newly implemented offensive wrestling that he used so well against Rob Font and Marlon Vera could be valuable tools in keeping Figueiredo hesitant to throw, whilst tiring him out.
Figueiredo has been known to slow down in fights during the past, and his low-volume approach will make it harder to win a decision in this matchup.
The former two-time flyweight champion has implemented more grappling since moving up to 135 to help him record big wins over the likes of Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera.
However, Sandhagen displayed fantastic defensive wrestling and grappling against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Therefore, Figueiredo's shooting takedowns may only tire the Brazilian out faster with no reward for his efforts.
Figueiredo carries more of a submission threat than Sandhagen in this matchup, but he may have to rock or drop Sandhagen on the feet first before he can begin to hunt for a submission.
If he is unable to finish Sandhagen, Figueiredo will need to ensure that his moments within the rounds are big enough and damaging enough to outweigh the volume of Sandhagen over five rounds.
This may be possible for one or two rounds, but winning three or more rounds this way against a fighter as defensively responsible as Sandhagen seems unlikely.
Fighter prediction - Cory Sandhagen
Method - Decision
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Bo Nickal (7-0, 4-0 UFC) vs Reinier de Ridder (19-2, 2-0 UFC)
This middleweight co-main event has divided opinion throughout the MMA community and is a tough fight to call.
Bo Nickal was set to be the next big thing in the UFC, with his high-level wrestling credentials making him a nightmare matchup for most and drawing comparisons to the likes of Khamzat Chimaev.
However, these lofty expectations that have been placed upon Bo Nickal have perhaps led to some unfair criticism, considering how young he is in his professional career.
This criticism first began at UFC 300 when, despite submitting Cody Brundage in the second round, Nickal did not dominate him in the wrestling department as quickly as some expected.
Then, after scoring a highlight reel KO against Val Woodburn earlier in his UFC tenure, we saw the real level of Nickal’s striking in his most recent fight against Paul Craig.
Nickal’s striking looked very one-dimensional as he edged out a low-volume decision against Craig, who is known for having relatively poor striking.
Reinier de Ridder also received criticism after his UFC debut, when he defeated Gerald Meerschaert.
As a former two-division champion in ONE FC, De Ridder came over to the UFC with an expectation that he would easily get past a fighter of Meerschaert’s calibre, but this was not the case.
The pair had an extremely competitive fight before de Ridder synched up an arm triangle in round three.
His second UFC appearance was much more impressive, however, as he quickly dispatched of Kevin Holland by submitting him in the first round.
Nickal will likely be able to find a home for his big looping overhands in this matchup as De Ridder plods forward into range.
For a fighter as new to striking as Nickal, expect significant improvements in his striking between fights.
He mixed his targets well when he threw in his fight against Craig, frequently targeting the body.
However, mixing up the type of shots he throws and adding combinations to his game are the next developments in his striking game that Nickal needs.
For De Ridder, who specialises in grappling, facing such a high-level wrestler means it is unlikely that he will be able to secure takedowns and ground control in this matchup.
He has shown he has power in his fight against Meerschaert, where he scored a heavy knockdown at the end of the first round.
However, he is also very hittable, and it seems as though Nickal has the speed advantage in this matchup.
Nickal will need to be careful of de Ridder during the scramble if he decides to take de Ridder down, as the Dutchman poses a big submission threat on the ground.
Expect this fight to play out on the feet for the most part in a less technical but still entertaining kickboxing bout, with Nickal perhaps able to secure takedowns as De Ridder tires.
Fighter prediction - Bo Nickal
Method - Decision
