Cory Sandhagen is best known as a knockout artist but he showed off his grappling skills on Saturday after scoring a reversal on the ground that resulted in Deiveson Figueiredo suffering a gruesome knee injury to end the UFC Des Moines main event.
There was nothing accidental about the move that stopped the fight as the bantamweights were constantly battling for position but it was Sandhagen who rolled from a seated position and as he moved forward, Figueiredo’s leg got locked underneath him. As soon as Sandhagen was back to his knees throwing punches, Figueiredo was grimacing in pain and he tapped out just a few seconds later.
Replays showed the nasty way Figueiredo’s knee popped after Sandhagen trapped his leg during the grappling exchange that ended the fight at 4:08 in the second round.
Sandhagen gets it done in round 2#UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/wU9ug5RFFU
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) May 4, 2025
“If you don’t know how to play 50/50, your knee gets popped,” Sandhagen said about the win after training under noted grappling champion Ryan Hall throughout his career. “It happened to T.J. [Dillashaw], it happened to Figgy.
“If you don’t know how to play that position, you lose and I’m better there. I put him there, I sat up and it popped. That’s how it goes.”
While the fight was touted as a potential slugfest on the feet, Figueiredo pretty clearly felt like he would be able to use his wrestling and submission skills to throw off Sandhagen.
An early takedown attempt from Figueiredo actually led to Sandhagen shutting him down and then unleashing some nasty ground and pound. While Figueiredo was still holding onto the position to try for a submission, Sandhagen’s size and length allowed him the space to land some heavy shots from the top.
A solid right hand from Figueiredo got Sandhagen’s attention in the second round but it was short-lived success as the Brazilian once again turned to his grappling. Sandhagen was quick to reverse the position and he was constantly scrambling to stay out of any potential trouble while punishing Figueiredo with punches at every turn.
Despite his best attempts, Figueiredo just couldn’t ever really threaten Sandhagen on the ground but he kept grabbing at legs trying to snatch a submission. Sandhagen never panicked and he found a way to slip free every time before hammering away at Figueiredo withi strikes.
The final grappling exchange saw the fighters’ legs once again tangled up on the ground but Sandhagen took advantage this time with the roll to sit up and that’s when Figueiredo’s knee apparently popped. Sandhagen started throwing punches but he recognized right away that Figueiredo was hurt as he tapped out to stop the fight.
It was exactly the kind of win that Sandhagen wanted and needed after falling to Umar Nurmagomedov in his previous outing.
“Nothing fires you up like a loss,” Sandhagen said. “I got a really good team behind me. I’m going to be champ one day. I’ve just got to keep working, working, working. That was a big ‘W’ for me. I’m just grateful for it.”
With the win, Sandhagen believes he’s positioned himself perfectly to get the next shot at the bantamweight title, especially with champion Merab Dvalishvili defending his belt in a rematch against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 in June.
“Sean O’Malley, Merab, I want the winner,” Sandhagen said. “I’ll be the backup if they want. I’ve dreamed of being a world champion for more than half of my life now. UFC, please give me an opportunity to show how great I am to the whole world, Please.”
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