UFC Des Moines ‘Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring

Juliana Miller (126) vs. Ivana Petrovic (125.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petrovic (-230), Miller (+190)

Round 1

The opening bout of UFC Des Moines features two women looking to move to .500 in the UFC, but only one can succeed. They go to work at a gesturre from referee Tyrone Roberts. Petrovic is southpaw, Miller orthodox to start off, and they exchange low kicks in the opening moments. Lots of handfighting early on as both women try and figure out the range. A low kick from Petrovic scores hard, making Miller stumble. Miller closes the distance and drives Petrovic to the fence, where she grabs underhooks and works to bring the fight to the canvas. Petrovic overhooks with her left arm and punches the body with her right. The Iowa crowd grows restive. Petrovic reverses Miller into the cage. Miller grabs a front headlock, tucking Petrovic’s head under her left armpit. Petrovic tries a single-leg, but Miller moves away from the fence and employs a nice snapdown to foil the attempt. Ninety seconds to go in the round and the audience is definitely letting its displeasure be heard. Petrovic gets a double-leg against the fence and hauls Miller down, aided by a guillotine attempt by the American. Petrovic pops her head out of danger and starts punching. Miller turns her back and turtles against the fence on her knees and elbows. Petrovic lands a few more punches as Miller goes to her back. The horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Petrovic
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Petrovic
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Petrovic

Round 2

Miller clinches quickly and shoves Petrovic to the fence. The crowd immediately begins booing, but this time Miller uses a body lock and trip to dump the Norwegian to the mat within seconds. Petrovic bridges, gets her hips out from under Miller and stands. They go back to work in the center of the cage. Petrovic uses her right jab to try and keep Miller at bay, wary of another clinch or takedown attempt. She is successful for a few moments, but Miller takes advantage of a slow body kick to catch the leg, switch to a high body lock and dump Petrovic right back to the floor. Petrovic tries to escape and Miller works toward taking her back. They end up in an awkward position, almost spooning, but Miller manages to gain back control, sinking her hooks with 90 seconds to go. Miller punches the head from back mount, as Petrovic squirms and tries to block the punches blind. Miller tries for a rear-naked choke, but can’t secure an arm around the neck. With 30 seconds left in the round, Petrovic spins halfway into guard, but Miller holds on until the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Miller
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Miller
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Miller

Round 3

It's any woman’s fight—on our scorecards at least—as the flyweight hopefuls come out for Round 3. Miller clocks Petrovic with a glancing right hand. Petrovic counters a lazy front kick with a two-piece upstairs. Miller comes up short with a big right hook. A minute and a half in, Miller feints, changes levels and shoots for a takedown. She runs her foe to the cage, where Petrovic uses an underhook to haul Miller up off of her hips. Petrovic reverses Miller into the chain-link and disengages, but eats a punch on the break. They return to the center of the Octagon. Miller takes advantage of a wild swing by Petrovic to take her back standing. Miller hauls Petrovic to the canvas, where she works for a rear-naked choke. She can’t get it, and bails in favor of boxing her foe’s ears with punches. She goes for the neck again, settling for a neck crank, which looks uncomfortable but not close to ending the fight. Miller is riding high and Petrovic tripods, trying to shake her over the top. Miller holds on with her hooks, riding it out until the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Miller (29-28 Miller)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Miller (29-28 Miller)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Miller (29-28 Miller)

The Official Result

Juliana Miller def. Ivana Petrovic via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Don'Tale Mayes (259) vs. Thomas Petersen (250)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Petersen (-265), Mayes (+215)

Round 1

The big men go to work at a word from referee Bruce Allen. Petersen is southpaw, Mayes orthodox, but it doesn’t matter for long as Petersen shoots a fast single-leg within seconds, dragging Mayes to the mat at the base of the cage. Petersen sets up in guard but Mayes puts his back against the fence and stands up. Petersen moves to the back and hauls the bigger man back down for an easy mat return. Mayes stands once again, this time without benefit of the cage, and Petersen once again dumps him onto the floor, this time landing in side control. Petersen starts working on the far arm, looking for a far-side attack or maybe an arm-triangle choke, and Mayes turns away from him. Petersen adjusts, applies an arm-triangle and hops over to try and finish. Mayes defends, and after a few seconds, Petersen chooses to move to mount rather than keep squeezing on a choke that isn’t there. Mayes regains one-quarter guard, then half guard. Petersen postures up and drops a couple of hard hammerfists and forearm strikes, and Mayes locks his arms around Petersen’s torso to deny him space to keep the assault going. The round ends with Petersen on top.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Petersen
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Petersen
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Petersen

Round 2

Petersen courts some danger, rushing past some Mayes punches to grab a body lock. He drives Mayes to the cage and trips him to the canvas immediately. Petersen is in Mayes’ half guard, dropping punches. He takes an underhook on the right side and keeps punching with the left. Petersen traps the near arm of Mayes under his legs and the crucifix is right there for him. Mayes turns his back rather than give him that, and he manages to stand up against the fence seconds later. Mayes pursues Petersen toward the center of the cage and reaches out with a couple of punches, but they look labored, and Petersen makes his fifth takedown of the fight perhaps the easiest, which is saying something. Petersen steps over and nearly gets mount, but Mayes turns his back and Petersen takes it. He throws some strikes to the turtled Mayes from back mount and the Kentuckian turns again. Petersen lands in half guard and smacks Mayes’ head with a couple of heavy elbows. Mayes is completely inert in the middle of the cage, covering up but offering next to nothing back as Petersen continues to pelt him with strikes from half guard. The horn sounds with Petersen in total control.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Petersen
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Petersen
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Petersen

Round 3

Perhaps expecting the instant level change after Rounds 1 and 2, Mayes meets Petersen with a flying knee. It lands, stopping Petersen in his tracks. Petersen is clearly hurt, but he gathers his wits quickly and shoots another takedown, shoving Mayes to the fence. He completes the takedown seconds later, and Mayes gamely returns to his hands and knees at the base of the cage. Petersen moves to Mayes’ back, controlling him and looking for an opportune moment to bring him back to the floor. Mayes stays on one knee, perhaps to forestall knees to his head, and after a few moments’ stalemate there, Petersen hauls him away from the cage and deposits him back on the canvas. Referee Allen cautions Mayes for grabbing the inside of Petersen’s glove. Petersen is in Mayes’ half guard, but as Mayes turns away, it becomes something more like a folkstyle wrestling ride position. Petersen goes to work with short punches and hammerfists. Under a minute to go, and Mayes goes to his back. Petersen happily takes half guard again, dropping elbows on the big man’s dome until the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Petersen (30-27 Petersen)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Petersen (30-27 Petersen)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Petersen (30-27 Petersen)

The Official Result

Thomas Petersen def. Don'Tale Mayes via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-25)

Gaston Bolanos (135.5) vs. Quang Le (135.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bolanos (-142), Le (+120)

Round 1

Bantamweights Bolanos and Le square off under the watchful eye of referee Tyrone Roberts. Both are in orthodox stance, and they spend the first few moments studying each other warily. Bolanos scores first with a calf kick, and Le shoots for a takedown against the fence. Bolanos defends ably, but Le disengages, re-shoots immediately and hauls the Peruvian down on his second try. Le takes Bolanos’ back as he scrambles to get up, sinking his hooks with nearly four minutes to go in the round. Bolanos is composed, keeping his hands in position to fight off a choke as he squirms and tries to dislodge Le’s hooks. He succeeds, and gets back to his feet around the midpoint of the round. Le takes Bolanos’ back standing, drags him back down and sinks a hook on the left side. Bolanos uses a two-on-one to occupy Le’s left arm, and Le responds by punching with his free hand. Le goes supine with Bolanos on top of him, Le still in back mount. Bolanos sits up and Le secures his other hook. Under 30 seconds to go and Bolanos appears focused on making it to Round 2 and a fresh start. He gets it.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Le
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Le
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Le

Round 2

Bolanos meets Le with a right hand in the first exchange. He cracks Le again, catches a kick, hoists the leg and shoves Le toward the fence. Le moves back in, swinging, and both men land in the ensuing flurry. Le uses a single-leg to dump Bolanos to the mat off-balance, and jumps onto him. Le again takes Bolanos’ back in a flash, applying a rear-naked choke despite being somewhat out of position. The choke is extremely tight, however, and Bolanos makes no move to defend the technique as Le adjusts his position, flatting Bolanos out prone and squeezing. A few tense seconds later, referee Roberts checks Bolanos’ arm and realizes that the man is off killing dreams. Roberts pulls Le off of the snoozing Peruvian who has just pulled off a sensational technical submission to cap off a seven-minute grappling clinic.

The Official Result

Quang Le def. Gaston Bolanos R2 1:54 via Technical Submission (Rear-Naked Choke)

Gillian Robertson (115.5) vs. Marina Rodriguez (115.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Robertson (-325), Rodriguez (+260)

Round 1

A strawweight contenders’ match is up next, and referee Bruce Allen will be in charge of keeping things nice and clean. Both women are in orthodox stance. Rodriguez sticks out a long jab and slides around the outside as Robertson comes forward. Robertson lands a calf kick. Rodriguez comes up short on a jab but lands the right cross follow-up. A minute in, Des Moines is yelling “woo.” Robertson grabs a snatch single and finishes nicely, spinning the Brazilian to the floor near the Octagon “warning track.” Robertson settles into Rodriguez’s half guard and tries to pin the near arm. Rodriguez is wise to it, so Robertson drops some elbows, then attacks the far side arm with a kimura. Rodriguez bucks and squirms, forcing Robertson to give up the arm attack in order to keep position. Robertson postures up and mugs Rodriguez with a stream of short punches. Rodriguez wraps up the Canadian’s torso, controlling her posture, but Robertson manages to break the grip, elevate and land some more ground strikes. Robertson has under a minute left to work, and turns her attention to the far arm of Rodriguez once again. Rodriguez extricates the arm, and the round ends with Robertson elbowing the thigh.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Robertson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Robertson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Robertson

Round 2

Round 2 begins with Rodriguez meeting the onrushing Robertson with a pair of punches. Robertson bulls her way into the pocket and changes levels for a takedown. Rodriguez catches Robertson in a ninja choke. The arms are tight but the body positioning is not ideal, and Rodriguez squeezes to no avail as Robertson pops her head out and lands in mount at the base of the fence. Robertson begins swinging away with both hands, pelting Rodriguez’s face with a dozen clean punches. Crammed into the corner of the chain-link, Rodriguez has nowhere to go and no recourse but to give up her back. She does so and Robertson goes along for the ride, taking a high back mount and punching away. Ref Allen warns Rodriguez to move or defend herself, and after a few seconds in which she does neither to his satisfaction, he interposes himself for the TKO stoppage. Dominant ground work by the vermilion-haired “Savage” from Niagara Falls, who picks up her fourth win in a row, two of them by strikes.

The Official Result

Gillian Robertson def. Marina Rodriguez R2 2:07 via TKO (Punches)

After the verdict is read and Robertson receives her rightful time on the mic, the 39-year-old Rodriguez announces her retirement from competition.

Azamat Bekoev (185.5) vs. Ryan Loder (185.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Bekoev (-395), Loder (+310)

Round 1

Middleweights are up next, as Loder will look to defend Midwestern honor against Bekoev, who is announced amid a shower of boos. Gary Copeland draws his first referee assignment of the evening and at his word, they engage. Loder is southpaw, Bekoev orthodox, and Loder closes the distance, driving the Russian into the cage. He drags Bekoev to his knees, but Bekoev pops right back up, and they disengage as they move back into space. Loder enters again and is caught with a big right hand. He staggers back into the fence, where Bekoev swarms with hooks from both hands. Loder survives and tries to reset, though he is clearly still compromised. Loder staggers to his right along the fence, with Bekoev in pursuit, landing a salvo of right hands. Loder manages to tie Bekoev up and give himself a moment to recover, but Bekoev shoves him back to the fence, where he braces him with a forearm to the chest before opening up with punches once again. Loder tries to return fire and lands a left hand, but Bekoev comes back with a half-dozen punches. One of them, a flush right hand, is too much, felling Loder like a tree against the fence. Loder covers up as Bekoev swarms with standing-to-ground punches. Referee Copeland is looking on closely, and after three or four more unanswered blows land with no movement from the American, he steps in to stop the mauling. Relentless work by Azamat Bekoev.

The Official Result

Azamat Bekoev def. Ryan Loder R1 2:44 via TKO (Punches)

Yana Santos (136) vs. Miesha Tate (135.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Tate (-142), Santos (+120)

Round 1

The top prelim of UFC on ESPN 67 features a couple of longtime promotional mainstays seeking to prove they are still factors in the form of 35-year-old former champ Tate and perennial contender Santos, who is 38. The third person in the cage will be Kevin Macdonald, and he barely has time to get out of the way as Tate charges across the cage as soon as the fight begins. Tate meets Santos with a flurry of punches and the Russian answers in kind, but it’s Tate landing the more and cleaner punches. They go careening into the fence, where Santos slows things down by clinching. They separate and return to open space, and Tate continues to be hyper-aggressive with the hands. Santos slips and parries a few of them and returns fire with a leg kick. Tate crashes the pocket and looks for a takedown. Santos counters with a whizzer and Tate nearly takes her back standing anyway. They disengage and go back to boxing in the middle of the cage. Tate tries a scarf hold throw, but Santos pulls her head out and gets Tate’s back. Tate spins away and they separate. Tate comes in with punches and eats a level elbow. Santos catches Tate coming in, snapping her head back with a hard left jab. Santos tags the rear leg of Tate with an inside low kick. Tate advances and Santos kicks the rear leg again. Tate seems a bit off-balance from the kicks, but continues coming forward. Tate clinches and shoves Santos to the cage just before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Santos

Round 2

Tate comes forward at a near-sprint once again, but this time Santos is ready, sliding laterally and catching Tate with a hard low kick. Tate cuts off Santos’ exit angles nicely, but the low kicks seem to stop her in her tracks each time. Ninety seconds in, Tate is chasing Santos, who is content to stick and move, using her jab, cross and especially her low kicks to score at range. Tate finally catches up to Santos and clinches, running her to the fence. Santos uses double underhooks to shuck the former champ off and spins away from the cage. Tate marches into the pocket and lands a straight right. Santos backs up, plants and sticks a one-two in her face. Tate changes levels and goes for Santos’ hips, but Santos backs up to the cage and uses underhooks to stand her back up. Tate looks to change levels, but Santos knees her up the middle twice and Tate disengages. Under a minute to go in Round 2 and Tate lands a slapping kick to the ribs. Santos defends a last-second takedown attempt and the horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Santos
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Santos

Round 3

The final round begins with “Cupcake” marching forward, albeit a bit more deliberately. Santos meets her in much the same way, however, moving laterally, or backing up, then planting and throwing her jab and cross. Tate lands a nice right hand. Santos circles out, and Tate rushes in, gets on her hips and tosses her to the ground. Tate sets up in Santos’ half guard near the base of the fence, where she drops short punches and elbows. Santos controls Tate’s posture with an arm behind the neck, but otherwise is not doing much to defend herself, much less escape. Tate lands a couple of hard shots in a row and Santos turns to one side. Tate takes the opportunity to move to the back, where she locks up a body triangle and begins fishing for a choke. Tate rolls to her back, Santos on top of her, and throws some slapping strikes to either side of the Russian’s head, trying to get her hands out of position to defend the choke. With under 45 seconds to go, Tate goes for the choke in earnest, but Santos gets both of her hands involved in fighting off the choking arm. The fight ends with Tate still in back mount, in control of the fight but likely too little, too late to change the outcome.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Tate (29-28 Santos)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Tate (29-28 Santos)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Tate (29-28 Santos)

The Official Result

Yana Santos def. Miesha Tate via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Mason Jones (155.5) vs. Jeremy Stephens (155)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Jones (-600), Stephens (+440)

Round 1

Stephens enters to massive pop from his hometown crowd, and hopes to give them something to keep cheering about against fellow returnee Jones. Mike Beltran draws his first referee assignment of the evening, and the lightweights go to work in matchin orthodox stances. Stephens is throwing hooks with mean intentions right away, but he scores first with a hard leg kick. Jones is composed, however, moving laterally and tagging “Lil Heathen” with a variety of fast kicks from both sides. Jones goes upstairs and a head kick glances off Stephens’ guard. Jones connects with a body kick, then a spinning back kick to the head. None of them have landed with a ton of impact, but the speed and accuracy are there. Stephens catches Jones with a hard right hand, which leaves a visible swelling under the Welshman’s eye. They clinch, and Stephens fires off a couple of murderous-looking uppercuts that have Jones backing away hastily. Jones steps back in and lands an uppercut of his own. Stephens wades forward, and his punches look to have slowed just a bit. Jones takes Stephens’ back standing, hoists him with a rear waistlock and deposits him on the canvas. Stephens scrambles back up, but Jones elevates him for an easy mat return. Jones stays on Stephens’ back this time, and with under 30 seconds to go he tries a rear-naked choke. It’s wrapped up but not under the chin, and time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jones
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jones
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jones

Round 2

Jones and Stephens meet in the center of the cage and flurry with punches. Stephens lands a good one and the crowd erupts. Jones fires back and they clinch. Stephens lands a nice uppercut in close. Jones tags Stephens with a glancing head kick and just slips a right hook coming back his way. Stephens throws another right, and Jones has just barely escaped disaster from that punch several times already in this fight. Jones lands a flying knee, followed by a level elbow, and Stephens is bleeding from the hairline. Stephens throws a salvo of punches, several of which connect, and Jones loses his mouthguard. Jones is bleeding from the face as well. The crowd is deafening as the two men swing away in phone-booth range. Jones lands a spinning back kick to the head, and Stephens steps in to land a clean counter punch. Stephens throws a straight to the body that hurts Jones and has him backing off. Stephens surges forward and takes Jones’ back standing. Jones spins to face his opponent and hauls Stephens to his knees, lands briefly in mount, then jumps on his back as he turns away. Short time left in the round once again, and once again the horn sounds with Jones in back control.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jones
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jones
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jones

Round 3

The Des Moines crowd roars as Stephens and Jones come out for the final frame, and they pop further when Stephens lands a nice right hand in the opening exchange. Jones staves off further punishment—and quiets the arena—by changing levels for an easy takedown against the cage. Jones lands in Stephens’ guard, but Stephens gets back to his feet. Jones drags Stephens back down, spins through north-south, and grabs Stephens’ left arm with a two-on-one, looking to isolate the limb for an armbar. Stephens locks his hands and defends, with Jones kneeling over his head and trying to wrench the arm out. Jones gives up on the armbar and moves to Stephens’ back. Stephens explodes to his feet and Jones drags him back down, to scattered boos from the crowd. Jones laces the legs of the seated Iowan at the base of the fence, and is close to landing in full mount. Stephens gets back to this feet yet again, and Jones yet again responds by "dragon" his man back to the ground. Under a minute left to go and Jones gets back control, then takes mount as Stephens spins around. The final horn sounds with Jones in full mount near the cage and the Des Moines crowd sounding off in discontent.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jones (30-27 Jones)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jones (30-27 Jones)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jones (30-27 Jones)

The Official Result

Mason Jones def. Jeremy Stephens via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Serhiy Sidey (135.5) vs. Cameron Smotherman (135.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Sidey (-135), Smotherman (+114)

Round 1

Bantamweight wild men meet next, as Sidey and Smotherman face off under the supervision of referee Dan Miragliotta. Both are in orthodox stance and Smotherman creeps forward behind a high guard, as the visibly taller Sidey gives ground, sticks out a jab and lands an outside low kick. Sidey plants and throws a glancing one-two. Sidey lands a nice jab to the body. Smotherman continues to march forward at a deliberate pace, landing a nice body shot of his own. Sidey catches Smotherman with a hard leg kick. Sidey times Smotherman for a smooth as glass double-leg, but he can’t finish as he switches to a single and Smotherman hops backward on one leg all the way to the fence, where he extricates his limb and they reset in the middle of the Octagon. The bantamweights converge and throw simultaneously, both men landing in the exchange. Smotherman throws out a jab to the body, and Sidey collapses the pocket, changes levels and runs him to the fence again. Smotherman defends the takedown with ease, but as they come off the fence, Sidey lands another hard kick to Smotherman’s lead leg. With under a minute to go in the round, they have returned to the middle of the cage and Sidey is once again sliding laterally, sticking out his long jab. Sidey comes up short on a spinning back kick to the body right before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sidey
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sidey
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sidey

Round 2

Smotherman marches forward to open Round 2, and Sidey meets him with a feint, then a quick single-leg that he uses to haul Smotherman to the mat near the fence. Smotherman gets back to a knee, then to his feet, with the Canadian stuck to his back. Miragliotta cautions Smotherman for grabbing the fence. A few seconds later Smotherman spins toward Sidey, and Sidey disengages, giving him room to get off the cage. Smotherman takes the center of the Octagon and advances towards Sidey, whose movement continues to give the Texan problems. Smotherman catches an errant blow, but he waves off Miragliotta’s offer of a time-out. Sidey tries for another takedown, but Smotherman sprawls and gets his hips out of danger, tagging Sidey with a glancing right hand on the break. Sidey closes the distance and grabs Smotherman as they go careening into the fence. Sidey elevates and dumps Smotherman to all fours, but he pops right back up. Sidey stays on him as he gets to a knee, then back to his feet. Sidey throws a couple of punches from behind as Smotherman stands, then hauls him back down. Smotherman gets back up quickly, but the round ends with Sidey still glued to him against the cage.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sidey
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sidey
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sidey

Round 3

Round 3 starts with a touch of gloves, marking one of the few times so far in the fight that Smotherman has been able to get a glove on his opponent that easily. They go back to work in the center of the cage and Sidey tries for a quick takedown, which Smotherman defends. Sidey is on his horse, circling away from the pursuing Smotherman, and times him for a beautiful level change. He puts Smotherman on his behind with a double-leg, and as Smotherman stands, Sidey attempts an anaconda choke. A tense sequence ensues, as Smotherman carefully returns to his feet while keeping his air and blood supplies intact, but Sidey is eventually forced to let the choke go. They return to exchanging in space with under two minutes to go, and Sidey punctuates his stick-and-move with a little more stick, sitting down on his best single punch of the fight. Sidey tries for another takedown but Smotherman is all over it, and he returns fire with a good body shot as they come back up. Smotherman is pursuing Sidey at the 10-second clapper, coming up short on a flying knee attempt, and can’t land anything of consequence before the final horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sidey (30-27 Sidey)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sidey (30-27 Sidey)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sidey (30-27 Sidey)

The Official Result

Serhiy Sidey def. Cameron Smotherman via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Montel Jackson (136) vs. Daniel Marcos (135.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Jackson (-205), Marcos (+170)

Round 1

Bantamweights are up again in Des Moines, this time red-hot rising contenders Marcos and Jackson, with Gary Copeland on referee duty. Jackson is southpaw, Marcos orthodox, and they exchange a couple of glancing punches from outside before Marcos closes the distance and clinches with the much taller American. Jackson grounds Marcos with a beautiful foot sweep, and takes top position in Marcos’ guard. He lets “Soncora” up quickly, and they go back to kickboxing, where Marcos continues to try and solve the puzzle of Jackson’s huge height and reach advantages. They clinch again, this time with Marcos’ back against the fence, and Jackson drives his knee into Marcos’ thigh and midsection before they break off and move away from the fence. Marcos rushes forward and pushes Jackson to the fence, where he takes a turn firing short knees as they vie for head position and wrist control. Marcos changes levels, peels Jackson off the fence and takes him down. Marcos is in Jackson’s guard, but only briefly, as Jackson hips out, gives his back up and stands. He turns to face Marcos, completing the escape, just before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jackson

Round 2

Marcos comes forward, working to navigate his foe’s reach by springing in with big overhand rights. Marcos jumps in again, but this time he changes levels and completes a takedown in the center of the Octagon. Marcos is in Jackson’s guard, but Jackson will not concede the position, keeping his hips active and looking to get his feet on Marcos’ hips and kick him off. Marcos lets his man up and they go back to work on the feet. Jackson is connecting with a fast, long jab that comes up from near his beltline, while Marcos is keeping his chin tucked and looking for his moment to land a big punch. Marcos steps into the pocket and shoves Jackson to the fence, where they exchange a couple of blows in close before breaking the clinch. Marcos wades right back into range and drives the taller man to the cage again. He locks his hands and, after a moment’s adjustment, hoists Jackson and puts him on the ground. Jackson springs right back to his feet and they move back to the fence. Jackson reverses position and is pushing Marcos into the chain-link at the end of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jackson

Round 3

The final round begins with Marcos landing a nice body kick to the open side. Jackson comes back with a pair of punches, one of which might have grazed Marcos’ right eye in an awkward way, as he comes away guarding that side of his face closely. Jackson moves in and tries for a takedown near the fence, but Marcos sprawls well in close quarters. Marcos goes for a takedown of his own and gets Jackson off his feet, then moves to the back as Jackson gets back up. Marcos works from standing back control for a few moments before Jackson spins out of his grasp and off of the fence. Marcos immediately closes the distance again, bending at the waist and trying to pull Jackson’s hips away from the cage. Jackson turns his back and Marcos takes a rear waistlock, but he can only get off a few knees to the thigh before Jackson escapes again. Jackson comes forward, stalking a suddenly tired-looking Marcos, and gets an easy takedown. As Marcos stands, Jackson snares him in a D’Arce choke, dragging him back to the mat as he does so. Marcos remains calm and defends against the choke, but the final horn sounds seconds later, possibly without “Soncora” having landed a single strike this round. Barring some extreme judging malfeasance, one of the UFC’s two dozen or so undefeated fighters is about to go down.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (30-27 Jackson)
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (30-27 Jackson)
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Jackson (30-27 Jackson)

The Official Result

Montel Jackson def. Daniel Marcos via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Santiago Ponzinibbio (170) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (170.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ponzinibbio (-122), Rodriguez (+102)

Round 1

A couple of welterweight action merchants draw feature bout duty at UFC Des Moines, as “The Argentine Dagger” and “D-Rod” prepare to slug it out. The third man in the Octagon, charged with possibly protecting one or both of these battle-hardened 38-year-olds from their own toughness, is Kevin Macdonald. Ponzinibbio sets up in orthodox, Rodriguez southpaw, and they exchange a couple of glancing punches as they nearly collide in the first seconds. A minute in, neither man has landed anything solid, but Rodriguez plants his feet and catches the advancing Ponzinibbio with a nice jab to the body. Scattered “whoos” can be heard as the two remain deliberate and tactical through the first half of Round 1. Ponzinibbio connects with a hard body kick that has “D-Rod” reacting visibly. Rodriguez stalks forward again and Ponzinibbio meets him with another body kick, this one a front kick to the midsection. Ponzinibbio steps forward and tries another kick, but slips on the attempt and Rodriguez pounces, clocking him with a left hand to the jaw that staggers him. Ponzinibbio retreats, trying to regain his wits, as Rodriguez gives chase. Rodriguez lands a couple more good punches, but Ponzinibbio recovers before the round expires.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

Round 2

Ponzinibbio appears to be back in possession of his faculties as they engage to open Round 2, but Rodriguez is clearly loading up his left hand, hoping to go back to that well at some point. Ponzinibbio lands a solid right to the chin, which Rodriguez eats, returning fire with a left cross. Whether because of the Round 1 slip or for some other reason, Ponzinibbio is not nearly as aggressive with his kicks through the first two minutes of the round. Left to relying on his boxing, he is getting the worse of most of the exchanges. Ponzinibbio steps in and misses just short with a big right hand, then comes back with another one that glances off the chin. Rodriguez’s movements are looking a bit labored halfway through the round. Ponzinibbio closes the distance and shoots for a takedown. Rodriguez ends up with his back against the fence, where Ponzinibbio cannot complete the takedown. They move off the fence and Ponzinibbio shoots again, this time bringing “D-Rod” to the canvas. The 10-second clapper sounds as they hit the floor, and the horn sounds before either man can put in any significant work.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

Round 3

Given the close nature of Round 2, it might be anyone’s fight for the taking on the judges’ scorecards, and Ponzinibbio strikes first with an overhand right. Rodriguez continues to breathe with his mouth open, but he is far from done, wading into the pocket and connecting with a left cross. Rodriguez hits Ponzinibbio with a body kick, then a few seconds later, crushes him with a four-punch combination, finishing with a left hook that puts his foe down. Referee Macdonald, in perfect position to see Ponzinibbio’s eyes, recognizes that “The Argentine Dagger” is done and jumps in for the save as Rodriguez pounces to put in the coffin nails. Ponzinibbio gets up and protests the stoppage, but his case is undermined by the fact that he goes stumbling across the cage and runs chest-first into the fence. Fantastic finish by Daniel Rodriguez, just at the point that the momentum of the fight appeared to be turning.

The Official Result

Daniel Rodriguez def. Santiago Ponzinibbio R3 1:12 via TKO (Punches)

Reinier de Ridder (185.5) vs. Bo Nickal (185.5)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: ODDS: Nickal (-325), de Ridder (+260)

Round 1

The co-main event of UFC on ESPN 67 features a couple of middleweight ground specialists who have yet to suffer defeat in the Octagon, but the similarities end there, as former ONE two-division champ de Ridder will pit his Brazilian jiu-jitsu chops against Nickal, perhaps the most accomplished amateur wrestler ever to cross over to mixed martial arts this early in his athletic prime. Something’s got to give, and Mike Beltran will be charged with keeping things legal. Both fighters come out in southpaw stance, and Nickal wastes no time in clinching and driving the taller man to the cage. After some pummeling for position, but no serious takedown attempts by either man, they break things off and move away from the fence. It’s “The Dutch Knight” who initiates the next clinch, appearing to contemplate a takedown of his own, but Nickal spins him against the fence. De Ridder reverses him again and throws a couple of short punches to the body. Nickal drops for a single-leg, picks the opposite ankle and grounds de Ridder with ease near the base of the fence. As de Ridder begins to stand, Nickal grabs a guillotine, closes his guard and tries to submit the submission specialist. There’s nothing doing there, and Nickal is forced to give up the choke. Worse, he is forced to give up top position to de Ridder, who sets up in half guard. Nickal gets up and de Ridder threatens to take his back. Nickal gets his hips out and uses a double-leg to stand, then ground de Ridder. The horn sounds.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 de Ridder
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 de Ridder
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 de Ridder

Round 2

De Ridder comes forward fearlessly to open Round 2, throwing a knee up the middle and driving Nickal towards the fence. They clinch and de Ridder uses an overhook to hold the shorter man in place for a couple of left knees to the breadbasket. Nickal hauls de Ridder away from the fence, but de Ridder follows him and nails him with a big knee to the sternum. It takes a few seconds for de Ridder to realize how badly he has his man hurt, but he sticks with what brought him to the dance, driving more knees into the retreating American. Nickal staggers back to the fence and slides to his right as de Ridder follows, pouring on the punishment. Nickal tries to come off the fence with an overhand left, but it misses badly and de Ridder keeps crushing him as he goes careening all the way across the cage. A final right knee to the jaw melts Nickal, who collapses to all fours at the base of the fence. With Nickal having taken about 20 unanswered strikes and making no move to defend himself, referee Beltran moves in to halt the onslaught. Reinier de Ridder has taken care of business, putting away one of the UFC’s most highly touted prospects in shockingly one-sided fashion. Time will tell how this result ages, and where these two men’s career tracks diverge from here, but in the moment, this did not even look like the upset it supposedly was.

The Official Result

Reinier de Ridder def. Bo Nickal R2 1:53 via TKO (Knees)

Cory Sandhagen (135.5) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (135)

BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Sandhagen (-500), Figueiredo (+380)

Round 1

The final bout to grace Wells Fargo Arena on this Saturday features Sandhagen, a longtime bantamweight contender who has picked up an impressive collection of scalps while not-so-patiently waiting his chance at UFC gold, against a man in Figueiredo who has already worn the flyweight version of that hardware twice, and hopes a win over “The Sandman” will allow him to skip the line at age 38. Overseeing this ultra-high stakes clash will be veteran referee Dan Miragliotta, who thankfully has shown no sign of the clapper-versus-horn confusion that plagued him at UFC Kansas City last week. Both contenders are in orthodox stance, and it is the taller Sandhagen who takes the front foot in the early going. Figueiredo scores with a calf kick, and Sandhagen clinches and moves his foe to the fence. They jockey for position there, punctuated by a few short strikes, before disengaging. Figueiredo lands a solid uppercut on the break. They move back to the center of the Octagon and Figueiredo lands another uppercut, then changes levels and pulls the action to the canvas. Figueiredo moves to Sandhagen’s back in a flash, and looks close to securing back mount before Sandhagen tripods and elevates his hips, trying to get the Brazilian to slide off the top. He succeeds, but Figueiredo tries to hop back onto his back and actually threatens to do so for a moment. He bails and Sandhagen lands on top. Figueiredo looks for a heel hook, but Sandhagen gets to a safe spot and smashes Figueiredo with hammerfists. Figueiredo gives up the leglock and scrambles to get up, but Sandhagen ends up on top again in half guard. Figueiredo again attacks a leg, and again Sandhagen crushes the space, gets his leg out of danger and punishes “Deus da Guerra” with some thudding ground-and-pound. The round ends with Sandhagen above Figueiredo, calmly looking for openings to punch.

Sherdog Scores

Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Sandhagen
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Sandhagen
Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Sandhagen

Round 2

Sandhagen claims the center of the cage to open Round 2 and Figueiredo meets him there. They exchange low kicks that land and punching combinations that mostly glance or miss. Figueiredo changes levels for a slick single-leg, dragging Sandhagen to the floor. There, they briefly find themselves in a “leglock race” position that must have Ryan Hall shaking his head in Sandhagen’s corner. They return to their feet and moments later, it’s Sandhagen who times his man nicely for a level change, depositing the former flyweight champ on his rear and setting up in his guard. Sandhagen throws a salvo of punches with both hands, but loses top position a few moments later and ends up with Figueiredo standing over him out of half guard. Sandhagen reaches for a leglock from the bottom and their legs become entwined as Sandhagen jumps back into his opponent’s guard. Sandhagen sweeps to top position and throws a couple of punches before it becomes apparent that Figueiredo is done fighting. Figueiredo taps in obvious pain as Miragliotta jumps in and waves off the fight. Replay shows that the entanglement of Sandhagen’s right leg and Figuereido’s left resulted in a knee injury to the Brazilian. It surely isn’t how they drew it up in the gym, but as Sandhagen stands alone to have his hand raised while his stricken opponent is helped back to the locker rooms, he has made a solid case for at shot at the belt in his next fight.

The Official Result

Cory Sandhagen def. Deiveson Figueiredo R2 4:08 via TKO (Knee Injury)