Revered as one of the most technical strikers in the bantamweight division today, surging weight-class challenger, Cory Sandhagen gets the opportunity to showcase his skills in another high-profile main event clash this weekend – closing as a betting favorite over short-notice replacement, Rob Font.
Sandhagen, who currently holds the number four rank in the official bantamweight pile, most recently turned in his second consecutive victory, landing a one-sided split decision win over the then-streaking, Marlon Vera at UFC Fight Night San Antonio back in April.
The victory followed a prior dominant win over Song Yadong, defeating the Chinese upstart with an eventual fourth round doctor’s stoppage TKO win in another headliner – this time at the UFC Apex facility.
And remaining on this weekend’s card in ‘The Volunteer State’, Sandhagen was initially scheduled to fight the surging, Umar Nurmagomedov in Nashville, until an injury forced the Russian talent to withdraw from proceedings.
Pulled from a planned UFC 292 fight with the aforenoted, Yadong in Boston next weekend, East Coast favorite, Font books his fourth headlining clash in his last five Octagon pairings in his impromptu pairing against Colorado native, Sandhagen this weekend.
Snapping a run of back-to-back losses to both former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, and common-opponent, Vera, New England Cartel staple, Font most recently snapped his losing skid with an impressive first round win over Adrian Yanez at UFC 287 back in April. The victory earned Font a Performance of the Night bonus to boot.
However, despite his recent turn of form, Font has some ways to go in convincing the bookies ahead of his return, with Sandhagen currently riding a -333 betting favorite line with Betway to secure victory this weekend in his pursuit of an undisputed bantamweight title fight.
Sharing the Octagon with both former champion, Petr Yan, and current undisputed kingpin, Aljamain Sterling in the last three years – Sandhagen suffered a one-sided loss to the latter in the pair’s title-eliminator, before dropping an interim title loss to Yan on ‘Fight Island’.
A technical striker, Sandhagen, a product of Eliot Marshall, has landed notable wins over the likes of Iuri Alcantara, John Lineker, Raphael Assuncao, Marlon Moraes, and former lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar during his tenure with the organization.
Also of note on this weekend’s ‘Fight Night’ billed card in Nashville, former undisputed strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade co-headlines against the hugely-touted undefeated contender, Tatiana Suarez.
In the midst of a two-fight losing skid – most recently bookended by a stunning KO loss to Chinese sensation, Yan Xiaonan, Andrade is currently priced as a large +290 betting underdog with Betway to defeat TUF winner, Suarez – who is closing as an impressive -380 betting favorite.
9-0 as a professional, Suarez, who holds an eye-catching win over former two-time strawweight champion, Carla Esparza, made a stunning return to the Octagon for the first time in four years back in February – defeating Montana De La Rosa at the flyweight limit with a second round guillotine choke win. Over the course of her Octagon tenure, Suarez also secured a first round rear-naked choke triumph over current flyweight queen, Alexa Grasso.