by Will Rogers
Thursday, May 01, 2025The UFC visits Des Moines on Saturday. Both the biggest bouts are expected to be lopsided but there are some other competitive fights on the card. I've taken a closer look at one of those and provided a pick. Every so often, its good to get caught up on the current champions in each division, as well as the pound-for-pound rankings. I've done so at the bottom of this article. I'll be back in a few days to preview UFC 315, which features Jack Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad, fighting for the welterweight title in Montreal.
The Main Event
The Main Event sees 33-year old Cory Sandhagen (17-5) laying -550 against 37-year old Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4). In addition to being the younger fighter, Sandhagen has a significant height and reach advantage. Sandhagen lost his last fight but that was against Umar Nurmagomedov, who was undefeated at the time. Prior to that, Sandhagen had won three straight. Likewise, Figueiredo also saw a 3-fight winning streak snapped in his last fight, a decision loss to Petr Yan. Sandhagen will likely be too much for his older opponent. However, I wouldn't want to be laying -550. Though getting a little long in the tooth, Figueiredo is still no slouch.
The Main Event sees 33-year old Cory Sandhagen (17-5) laying -550 against 37-year old Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4). In addition to being the younger fighter, Sandhagen has a significant height and reach advantage. Sandhagen lost his last fight but that was against Umar Nurmagomedov, who was undefeated at the time. Prior to that, Sandhagen had won three straight. Likewise, Figueiredo also saw a 3-fight winning streak snapped in his last fight, a decision loss to Petr Yan. Sandhagen will likely be too much for his older opponent. However, I wouldn't want to be laying -550. Though getting a little long in the tooth, Figueiredo is still no slouch.
The Co-Main Event
The Co-Main features Bo Nickal (7-0) as a -340 favorite against Reinier de Ridder. An elite wrestler, Nickal has yet to be challenged. He could be up for a tougher than expected fight on Saturday. After three straight victories, two by submission and one by TKO, de Ridder is now 19-2. Having to lose more than 36 pounds in less than a week could potentially take a toll on the favorite. Nickal weighed in at 222.6 pounds on Tuesday - the middleweight non-champion fight limit is 186.
The Pick
The third last fight of the night pits Daniel Rodriguez (18-5) up against Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8). The line is currently -110 each way. Both these guys are 38-years old. But that won't stop them from bringing it. Each will be aggressive and coming forward. Their styles suit each other well and it will make for an entertaining bout. Ponzinibbio, who owns three "Performance of the Night" awards in his UFC tenure, comes into this fight on the heels of a third-round TKO of Carlston Harris. Ponzinibbio said this of Saturday: "It’s going to be a pretty fun fight. He’s a striker like me. … It’s going to be a fun fight for the fans for sure."
My Pick: The "Argentine Dagger" is off a far more impressive win. I see him as a more-rounded fighter. Rodriguez also won his last fight but his victory came by split decision, against a fighter (Morono) who Ponzinibbio had previous knocked out. Rodriguez opened as a favorite but Ponzinibbio could easily close as one. Go with Santiago Ponzinibbio.
The Pick
The third last fight of the night pits Daniel Rodriguez (18-5) up against Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8). The line is currently -110 each way. Both these guys are 38-years old. But that won't stop them from bringing it. Each will be aggressive and coming forward. Their styles suit each other well and it will make for an entertaining bout. Ponzinibbio, who owns three "Performance of the Night" awards in his UFC tenure, comes into this fight on the heels of a third-round TKO of Carlston Harris. Ponzinibbio said this of Saturday: "It’s going to be a pretty fun fight. He’s a striker like me. … It’s going to be a fun fight for the fans for sure."
My Pick: The "Argentine Dagger" is off a far more impressive win. I see him as a more-rounded fighter. Rodriguez also won his last fight but his victory came by split decision, against a fighter (Morono) who Ponzinibbio had previous knocked out. Rodriguez opened as a favorite but Ponzinibbio could easily close as one. Go with Santiago Ponzinibbio.
Champions In Each Division
FLYWEIGHT
125 lb (56.82 kg)
Alexandre Pantoja (29-5)
"THE CANNIBAL"
BANTAMWEIGHT
134 lb (60.91 kg)
Merab Dvalishvili (19-4)
"THE MACHINE"
FEATHERWEIGHT
145 lb (65.91 kg)
Alexander Volkanovski (27-4)
"THE GREAT"
LIGHTWEIGHT
155 lb (70.45 kg)
Islam Makhachev (27-1)
WELTERWEIGHT
169 lb (76.82 kg)
Belal Muhammad (24-3)
"REMEMBER THE NAME"
MIDDLEWEIGHT
185 lb (84.09 kg)
Dricus Du Plessis (23-2)
"STILLKNOCKS"
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
205 lb (93.18 kg)
Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1)
HEAVYWEIGHT
238 lb (108.18 kg)
Jon Jones (28-1)
"BONES"
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
115 lb (52.27 kg)
Zhang Weili (26-3)
"MAGNUM"
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
125 lb (56.82 kg)
Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1)
"BULLET"
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
135 lb (61.36 kg)
Julianna Peña (13-5)
"THE VENEZUELAN VIXEN"
MEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS
1.Islam Makhachev
2 Jon Jones
3 Ilia Topuria
4 Merab Dvalishvili
5 Dricus Du Plessis
6 Magomed Ankalaev
7 Belal Muhammad
8 Alex Pereira
9 Alexander Volkanovski
10 Alexandre Pantoja
11 Tom Aspinall
12 Max Holloway
13 Sean O'Malley
14 Charles Oliveira
15 Arman Tsarukyan
Alexandre Pantoja (29-5)
"THE CANNIBAL"
BANTAMWEIGHT
134 lb (60.91 kg)
Merab Dvalishvili (19-4)
"THE MACHINE"
FEATHERWEIGHT
145 lb (65.91 kg)
Alexander Volkanovski (27-4)
"THE GREAT"
LIGHTWEIGHT
155 lb (70.45 kg)
Islam Makhachev (27-1)
WELTERWEIGHT
169 lb (76.82 kg)
Belal Muhammad (24-3)
"REMEMBER THE NAME"
MIDDLEWEIGHT
185 lb (84.09 kg)
Dricus Du Plessis (23-2)
"STILLKNOCKS"
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
205 lb (93.18 kg)
Magomed Ankalaev (21-1-1)
HEAVYWEIGHT
238 lb (108.18 kg)
Jon Jones (28-1)
"BONES"
WOMEN'S STRAWWEIGHT
115 lb (52.27 kg)
Zhang Weili (26-3)
"MAGNUM"
WOMEN'S FLYWEIGHT
125 lb (56.82 kg)
Valentina Shevchenko (24-4-1)
"BULLET"
WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT
135 lb (61.36 kg)
Julianna Peña (13-5)
"THE VENEZUELAN VIXEN"
MEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS
1.Islam Makhachev
2 Jon Jones
3 Ilia Topuria
4 Merab Dvalishvili
5 Dricus Du Plessis
6 Magomed Ankalaev
7 Belal Muhammad
8 Alex Pereira
9 Alexander Volkanovski
10 Alexandre Pantoja
11 Tom Aspinall
12 Max Holloway
13 Sean O'Malley
14 Charles Oliveira
15 Arman Tsarukyan
WOMEN'S POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS
1 Valentina Shevchenko
2 Zhang Weili
3 Alexa Grasso
4 Julianna Peña
5 Manon Fiorot
6 Erin Blanchfield
7 Kayla Harrison
8 Virna Jandiroba
9 Raquel Pennington
10 Rose Namajunas
11 Tatiana Suarez
12 Yan Xiaonan
13 Natalia Silva
14 Jéssica Andrade
15 Maycee Barber
