Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Vera squared off in a Bantamweight contest earlier tonight (Sat., March 25, 2023) at UFC San Antonio from inside AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. In a strong performance, Sandhagen consistently outworked Vera across five rounds.
Sandhagen opened the fight with lots of feints and stance switches, targeting the legs with his early offense. Vera was largely content to stay reactive, occasionally flicking out stiff jabs. Halfway through the round, Sandhagen’s combinations were flowing pretty well. Then, he jumped into a flying knee, attempted his first takedown of the fight, and scored a trip along the fence.
Sandhagen quickly got posture from top position, dropping heavy shots. Vera managed to cut his opponent from his back with elbows, but Sandhagen still landed the cleaner and more numerous shots. All in all, it was a strong first frame for the Coloradan.
Sandhagen walked his opponent down early in the second, landing a heavy right and body shot. He followed those lands up with a beautiful combination and a takedown into half guard. “Chito” looked for a leg lock from bottom position, but Sandhagen used that opening to pass guard into side control. Vera popped back up with 90 seconds remaining, but he really didn’t throw much before the bell.
Vera put some snap into his kicks to begin the third, but Sandhagen fired right back. Vera landed a hard low kick and crisp jab in combination. Sandhagen’s own jab was scoring well, and he returned to targeting the legs. Heavy 1-2 scored for “Chito,” his best land of the fight by quite a bit. Sandhagen answered with his own uppercut. Vera was advancing more, but Sandhagen was still throwing more strikes, and he dug another body shot. It was a much more competitive round, but Vera’s punch accuracy still wasn’t great.
Sandhagen landed another nice uppercut early, but Vera stuffed a pair of his takedowns and scored on the break. Sandhagen shifted side-to-side and jabbed, occasionally bursting into combinations. Sandhagen was flowing rather nicely, giving Vera few opportunities to really get into his range and land. This was compounded by the fact that “Chito” still just wasn’t throwing enough. Vera did score a nice couple punches near the bell, but it was too few and far between.
Sandhagen started the fifth frantically, pushing a high pace. He used a shot attempt to set up a jump knee then actually drove for a takedown, putting Vera on the canvas for a third time. Vera landed some illegal upkicks and held the glove, but his cheating worked, as it allowed him to scramble back to his feet with half the round remaining. Even as the clock ticked away, Vera never grew all that urgent or really swung for the fences. He landed some decent shots in the closing minute, but it wasn’t enough to make a miracle happen.
All in all, this was a really complete performance from Sandhagen. He consistently outworked Vera in most every round, absorbing relatively few shots in the process. His inclusion of takedowns also helped keep Vera off-guard, and that just might be the new element that makes Sandhagen a champion someday.
Results: Cory Sandhagen defeats Marlon Vera via decision
For complete UFC San Antonio: “Sandhagen vs. Vera” results and play-by-play, click HERE.