UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Font Preview
This weekend we see an unexpected bout between two top bantamweight contenders. Preceding them is a laundry list of heavy-hitters and finish-collecters facing off in the octagon. Let's take a look at the main card for this highly anticipated Fight Night.
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ludovit Klein
Bahamondes has won four of his last five fights, with wins over Roosevelt Roberts (10-3-0), Trey Ogden (16-6-0), and Rong Zhu (23-5-0). He has excellent kickboxing, constantly switches stances, and throws quick combinations with his hands, often followed by devastating kicks. At 6’3, he’s a sizeable Lightweight and makes great use of his length, typically picking apart his opponents at range. Bahamondes does a great job remaining composed on the outside or in the pocket, always willing to exchange strikes anywhere. Training at Valle Flow Striking, he's shown he has both the cardio and the chin to back up his striking tendencies, allowing him to get into wars and throw with volume. He has excellent takedown defense, having defended 95% of shots attempted on him in the UFC. Between his front-kick KO of Edson Gomez and his spinning back-kick KO of Roosevelt Roberts, he already has an excellent highlight reel for a 25-year-old fighter.
Klein has won two of his last five bouts with one draw and holds wins over Mason Jones (12-2-0), Devonte Smith (11-4-0), and Shane Young (13-7-0). He’s a powerful striker who loves to throw looping hooks and constant combinations. He throws everything with purpose and is very accurate, landing 54% of the strikes he’s attempted in the UFC. Training at Spartakus Fight Gym, Klein has excellent cardio, is willing to engage in the pocket, and has great distance management. He’s averaging just over one takedown landed per 15 minutes in his promotional tenure and is a solid wrestler. On top, he has heavy top control and devastating ground and pound. Klein is very well-rounded and can finish the fight anywhere it goes.
Tanner Boser vs. Aleksa Camur
Boser has won one of his last five outings and has victories over Ovince Saint Preux (26-17-0), Raphael Pessoa (10-3-0), and Philipe Lins (17-5-0). He’s a heavy-handed brawler who comes out hot, immediately letting his hands go and unleashing damaging kicks. He’ll often blitz forward and dip his head to throw big overhands. Boser holds a black belt in Shitō-ryū karate and prefers to keep the fight on the feet, with zero takedown attempts in the UFC. He’s constantly moving and puts out good volume for a Heavyweight, averaging about 43 significant strikes landed in his last five fights. Training at Shaved Bears MMA, he tends to throw caution to the wind and brawl on the inside but is more than willing to eat a shot to land one.
Camur has found victory in three of his last five fights, with his sole UFC victory coming over Justin Ledet (9-4-0). A former three-time Golden Glove boxer in Ohio, this shows in his style. He has great head movement and accurate, technical striking, and is constantly moving and feinting. Camur fights behind his jab and is very active, averaging 61 significant strikes landed per fight in his promotional tenure. He hasn’t had to grapple much in the UFC but is good in the clinch, has great knees on the inside, and has decent takedown defense. Training with Strong Style Fight Team, he’s proven to possess an excellent chin and has good cardio, carrying his power across 15 minutes.
Diego Lopes vs. Gavin Tucker
Lopes has won two of his last five fights with only one UFC bout, a close-fought decision loss to #10 ranked Featherweight Movsar Evloev (17-0-0). A well-rounded scrapper, he throws every shot with knockout intentions and constantly seeks a finish. He has one-shot KO power on the feet and has excellent accuracy and timing. Lopes has fast, powerful kicks and tends to get wild with his striking. Training at Lobo Gym MMA, he has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. He has a vicious submission game on top and bottom, constantly transitioning and looking for openings. Lopes has excellent ground and pound on top, which he’ll often use to set up a submission.
Tucker has won three of his last five outings and holds wins over Billy Quarantillo (17-5-0), Justin Jaynes (16-9-0), and Seung Woo Choi (10-6-0). He uses various attacks on the feet, mixing up his shots well. He does an excellent job of adding kicks into combination and has devastating head kicks. Tucker is always coming forward and has great head movement and footwork. Training at Titans MMA, he has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and averages nearly three takedowns landed per 15 minutes in the UFC. He has excellent wrestling and can land takedowns in open space, but he is a tenacious grappler, willing to work to get the fight to the mat. Tucker is likelier to resort to his submission game than his ground and pound, averaging over one submission attempt per 15 minutes.
#15 Dustin Jacoby vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Jacoby has won three of his last five fights and has wins over Da Woon Jung (15-4-1), Michael Oleksiejczuk (18-6-0), and Maxim Grishin (32-10-2). He is a former professional kickboxer holding a record of 18-8-0 and spent time in the premier kickboxing promotion, Glory. His experience is visible in his style, possessing excellent footwork and movement and a great variety of attacks. Jacoby is effective both at range and in the pocket but prefers to stay on the outside, where he can use his arsenal of kicks and punch combinations to damage his opponent. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, his hands constantly move, feinting and changing angles. He has a solid output for a Light Heavyweight but also does a great job of managing his energy, not overexerting himself, and keeping the same pace for all 15 minutes. Jacoby is willing to grapple and will occasionally shoot for a takedown but primarily prefers to keep it on the feet where he’s most dangerous.
Nzechukwu has found victory in three of his last five outings, with wins over Danilo Marques (14-5-0), Carlos Ulberg (9-1-0), and Ion Cutelaba (17-9-1). He is a dangerous striker with devastating power and an excellent ability to weather the storm. His hands keeps him in any fight, as he can land the knockout blow seemingly at any time from any position. Nzechukwu is not a particularly technical striker, usually keeping his guard high and throwing wild hooks and quick straights, generally ending up in brawls in the pocket. Training at Fortis MMA, Nzechukwu seems to improve as the fight continues, with all his UFC finishes coming after the first round. If he can catch his opponent clean, he can put them away and always tries to knock his opponent’s head off their shoulders from bell to bell.
#5 Jessica Andrade vs. #10 Tatiana Suarez
Andrade has won three of her last five outings and holds wins over #2 ranked Strawweight Rose Namajunas (12-5-0), #4 ranked Strawweight Amanda Lemos (13-2-1) and #2 ranked Bantamweight Raquel Pennington (15-9-0). A former Strawweight champion, she has fought in all three women’s weight classes and is currently ranked in two. A true powerhouse, she’s an explosive striker with some of the heaviest hands in women’s MMA. Training at Parana Vale Tudo, Andrade is always pressuring forward and throwing combinations, constantly pursuing a finish. She has the speed to match her power and throws every shot accurately and purposefully. She’s also an excellent grappler, holding a black belt in BJJ and averaging nearly three takedowns landed per fifteen minutes. On top, she does a great job of controlling her opponent and has devastating ground and pound.
Suarez is undefeated and has UFC wins over current UFC Women’s Flyweight champion Alexa Grasso (16-3-0), #1 ranked Strawweight Carla Esparza (20-7-0), and Montana De La Rosa (12-8-1). One of the most skilled female grapplers in the UFC, she’s a dominant wrestler who’s nearly impossible to shake off. She has excellent takedowns, averaging over six landed per 15 minutes, and has landed multiple takedowns in all of her UFC fights. Training at Millennia MMA, Suarez won’t waste much time on the feet, often throwing kicks at range before closing distance and clinching up. Having defended 100% of takedowns attempted on her in the UFC, she’s seemingly always one step ahead in the grappling department, typically dominating her opponent if she can take top position. She’s a very intelligent grappler and always chooses position over submission, never putting herself in dangerous situations. The Ultimate Fighter 23 winner, Suarez, returned from a four-year layoff earlier this year after numerous injuries kept her sidelined.
#4 Cory Sandhagen vs. #7 Rob Font
Sandhagen has victories in three of his last five outings and has wins over former UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (23-11-1), #6 ranked Bantamweight Chito Vera (20-8-1), and #8 ranked Bantamweight Song Yadong (20-7-1). He is a top-level striker, constantly moving and setting traps for his opponent. He can land damage from range with his arsenal of kicks or on the inside with devastating knees and elbows. Training with Elevation Fight Team, Sandhagen has excellent cardio and can push a heavy pace across five rounds but remains technical and keeps his strikes straight and tight. He’s constantly switching stances and never telegraphs his shots, often mixing kicks into the end of punch combinations. He’s willing to grapple and will pursue takedowns, has solid top control, and rarely puts himself in bad positions on the ground. Sandhagen has only lost to current or former champions in his UFC tenure and is a very tough test for anybody.
Font has won three of his last five fights with wins over #12 ranked Bantamweight Ricky Simon (20-4-0), #14 ranked Bantamweight Adrian Yanez (16-4-0), and current Bellator Bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (23-5-0). He is a hands-first fighter, preferring to do damage with his crisp boxing skills. Training at New England Cartel, he always fights behind his jab, has excellent footwork, and does a great job cutting off the cage. Font throws everything in combination and has fantastic output, averaging about 132 significant strikes landed in his last five bouts. He also has great hand speed but solid power, tending to heat up and increase his pace as the fight continues. He can grapple, and averages about one takedown landed per fifteen minutes, but he is at his best when he’s holding the center of the cage and dictating the pace of the fight. Font never gets too wild or telegraphs his shots and constantly moves and looks for different angles to attack from.
Best Bets
Boser vs. Camur to not go the distance.
Diego Lopes by finish.
Cory Sandhagen by decision.
