The UFC had just its second ever event in the state of Iowa with UFC Des Moines on Saturday. The 12-fight card evenly split bouts between the preliminary and main card, ultimately delivering a combined six finishes. This card had a bit of everything as far as matchmaking was concerned. Couple of vets, couple of prospects losing their undefeated status, and a former champion in Deiveson Figueiredo, losing in the five-round (actually two) main event to Cory Sandhagen. And suffering an injury with a potentially lengthy layoff.
Exciting matchups and next steps will be produced from this card in the coming weeks and months.
Deiveson Figueiredo
Cory Sandhagen TKO’d Deiveson Figueiredo after the Brazilian was rendered unable to continue via a knee injury triggered by his opponent. The loss puts Figueiredo on a two-fight skid, completely icing the momentum of his three-fight start since moving up to 135lbs. The 37-year-old came into this fight rounding out the top five of the division, potentially fighting in a title eliminator bout, now suffering a devastating injury and possibly a long layoff.
Hopefully Figueiredo makes full and speedy recovery. Looking ahead a good opponent for Deiveson is tough as the timeline for his return is currently unknown. But Figueiredo should return against the winner of Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahabi. That fight goes down on UFC 315 Saturday. It might sound crazy. But ideally, Deiveson fights Jose Aldo next as that would be the best matchup. Former flyweight champion versus former featherweight champion. Close in age as well. However, with the knee injury taken into account it may not be reasonable depending on the outcome of the fight at 315. Still, the 37-year-old Aldo could need extra time off depending on how violent the scrap gets though. Currently Aldo is ranked at #11 while Aiemann Zahabi is ranked at #14.
This matchup is a bit out there but depending on how long it takes Figgy to get back in action it may be the best matchup he can get in that moment at 135lbs. Winner would add to legacy status even more, while loser could still hold a low ranking.
Figueiredo’s next fight: Jose Aldo vs Aiemann Zahbai winner/loser
Bo Nickal
Reiner de Ridder melted Bo Nickal in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines, to hand the decorated NCAA wrestler his very first loss in MMA. Bo was smothered in the clinch, softened up with short strikes and a well-timed knee sealed the deal. The performance exposed some cracks in Nickal’s foundation suggesting he is still greener than many expected.
Nickal is a two-time Contender Series competitor that is now 4-1 in the UFC. Bo has just eight MMA fights under his belt, ten if you count his amateur career. Bo needs to slow down in terms of the level of opponents. But at the same time, pick up the frequency with which he competes (if possible).
The winner of Andre Petroski vs. Edmen Shahbazyan would be the perfect next step for Bo. As long as Nickal came out of this fight injury free, that is. Shahbazyan and Petroski are schedule to scrap on June 14, so the timing isn’t the best, but then again, Bo likes some time between fights. Edmen is known for his karate style while Petroski is a grappling heavy fighter. Edmen is 2-2 in his last four bouts. Petroski is 3-1 riding a 3-fight win streak.
Either fighter would be appropriate for Nickal at this stage after the results of his fight with RDR Saturday. Nickal has got to pump the brakes with his ascent and if he can get past Petroski/Shahbazyan winner and potentially get another fight in before the end of the calendar year, he’d be in great shape.
Nickal’s next fight: Andre Petroski vs. Edmen Shahbazyan Winner
Santiago Ponzinibbio
Daniel Rodriguez countered and brutally finished Santiago Ponzinibbio in the final round of the pair’s bout on Saturday. Ponzinibbio had flashes of the fighter of old during the fight (the one that ripped off a seven-fight win streak). But after the ‘Argentine Dagger’ was stunned early, he never truly recovered. It was all downhill from there, as they say.
Still think that the best fight to make would be for Ponzinibbio to fight Nicolas Dalby as was mentioned in last week’s edition of Losers, UFC Kansas City. Dalby took part in a back-and-forth brawl before he was sniped and put away by Randy Brown. Nicolas rode a nice win streak of his own in the UFC, ripping off four in a row before his current two-fight skid. Dalby faced Daniel Rodriguez in his third UFC fight winning a decision. Frankly, Dalby is a tall task for Ponzinibbio at this stage in his career. The one they call “Danish Dynamite” has just that in his hands, and if his last fight outcome proves anything- he’s not afraid to chuck leather. But this is a matchup that if Ponzinibbio is able to get his offense going, is a very winnable fight.
The winner of this proves one would instantly prove they still belong within the division, while the loser could very well find themselves competing for a roster spot in their following appearance.
Ponzinibbio’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby
Daniel Marcos
Montel Jackson edged out Daniel Marcos in a well fought decision on the UFC Des Moines main card Saturday. It was the first loss of Daniel’s 19-fight pro MMA career. The 2022 Contender Series alum is now 4-1, 1 NC with the UFC. Jackson entered the fight ranked at #15 at bantamweight so big opportunity missed for Marcos. Though the 32-year-old didn’t lose too much stock with his performance (besides the 0).
Marcos should fight Said Nurmagomedov next. The two were supposed to fight back in December of last year but Nurmagomedov withdrew. Daniel is now 1-1 since that fight was canceled while Said is 0-1. Nurmagomedov, despite his inactivity, puts on amazing performances every time that he does make it to fight night. Said was last in action against Vinicius Oliveira in February. Even though Said lost a unanimous decision he earned fight of the night honors. It was just the first time Said had made it to the octagon in four scheduled fights. This fight is guaranteed to have high pace and high action with the winner potentially drawing a fighter on the edge of the rankings (with an impressive finish).
Marcos’s next fight: Said Nurmagomedov
Cameron Smotherman
Serhiy Sidey‘s movement, length, and activity gave Camerson Smotherman all he could handle on the way to “the Baby-Faced Killer’s” first UFC defeat. Cameron pushed the action but couldn’t find the big shot and is now 1-1 with the promotion. The 2023 Contender Series veteran turns 28 later this year and needs a good win to establish himself within the division.
A good matchup for Cameron’s next fight would be Quang Le. Quang fought on the undercard of UFC Des Moines and snagged a performance of the night bonus for his submission victory over Gaston Bolanos. Le was supposed to fight on the Contender Series last year but was signed to the promotion instead. The win Saturday was Le’s first with the promotion after dropping his first two to Chris Gutierrez and Long Xiao. Despite being 33 years old, Quang has just 11 pro fights (Cameron has 17). This fight would have a high probability of ending with a stoppage, definitely a fan friendly matchup. Also, the timing would matchup as the two fought on the same night. Winner of this matchup would finally gain some stability and be able to look towards fighting a name within the division.
Smotherman’s next fight: Quang Le
Jeremy Stephens
Jeremy Stephens turned in a strong performance on his way to a unanimous decision defeat against Mason Jones to open the UFC Des Moines main card. Stephens had not graced the UFC octagon since 2021, going 4-4-1 through his nine-fight stint outside of the promotion (boxing, Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, Professional Fighters League). The 38-year-old looked just as gritty as ever but just got out-fought, looking a little rusty at times in mixing the arts.
Bangers only for a veteran violence deliverer like Stephens. No way Stephens or fans want “the hardest hitting 155 pounder” to take much of a step back. A fight against the loser of Jared Gordon vs Thiago Moises would deliver an edge of your seat matchup for fans. Gordon vs. Moises are scheduled to fight on May 17 so the timing works out pretty well. Gordon is 8-6, 1 NC with the UFC and 2-3, 1 NC in his last six fights. Moises is 8-6 with the UFC and is 4-2 in his last six fights. Either one of these hard-nosed fighters would produce a slobber knocker with Stephens. Besides, Stephens could very well be in the UFC for a good time as opposed to a long one, so either matchup would produce some stellar highlights. Winner could look towards a name quite a ways from the rankings.
Stephens’s next fight: Jared Gordon vs. Thiago Moises Loser
