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The UFC visits Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend for its latest Fight Night event, which has unfortunately seen a change to its headliner.
UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font will suffer for the loss of Umar Nurmagomedov, who was forced out of his bout with ‘The Sandman’, but it’s still a strong card.
With this considered, here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font.
#1. UFC catchweight bout: Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font
Initially, this headline bout would’ve seen Cory Sandhagen facing off with Umar Nurmagomedov in what would have been a highly anticipated bout. It would’ve been a huge test for Nurmagomedov, who is only ranked at No.11, but unfortunately, the Dagestani was forced out in July.
Rob Font is more highly ranked than Nurmagomedov, sitting at No.7, but it’s fair to say that this bout doesn’t quite get the blood pumping like the cancelled one. That’s because we know all about Font’s skills.
At 5’8”, he’s tall for a bantamweight, possesses excellent striking and boxing, and looked exceptional in his last bout, knocking out the highly rated Adrian Yanez to claim his first finish since 2020.
However, Font can be outstruck, largely if he’s faced with a heavier hitter who is faster than him, and despite knocking Yanez out, he doesn’t possess truly heavy hands per say.
Sandhagen, on the other hand, is ridiculously dangerous in all areas. He’s not only capable of exploding at opponents with his striking, as we saw against Song Yadong and Frankie Edgar, but he’s also a brilliant grappler, too.
Realistically, the only fighter to really handle ‘The Sandman’ in the UFC was Aljamain Sterling. Even T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan only edged past him and took a ton of damage in doing so.
More pointedly, Font tends to perform at his best against shorter foes, and in this situation, he’s actually at a disadvantage against Sandhagen, who stands at 5’11” although his reach is slightly less.
Basically, styles make fights and ‘The Sandman’ probably has the edge over Font in all areas. Assuming he’s at his best and his preparation for Nurmagomedov hasn’t taken his focus off Font’s skills entirely, the pick is Sandhagen via decision.
The Pick: Sandhagen via decision
#2. UFC strawweight bout: Jessica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez
While it might be flying under the radar a little in terms of the attention it’s receiving, this is a truly major bout for the strawweight division.
Jessica Andrade is arguably past her best now – she’s lost her last two bouts via finish – but the former champion is still one of the hardest hitters in the 115-pound division. More importantly, ‘Bate Estaca’ also carries a huge amount of respect, as you’d expect for someone who’s been in the UFC since 2015.
Tatiana Suarez, on the other hand, has been widely recognized as one of the best prospects at both 115 and 125 pounds for some time now, dating back to her 2016 debut in the promotion.
A remarkably powerful wrestler with a brutal top game, she holds wins over the likes of Nina Nunes, former strawweight queen Carla Esparza, and current flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, who she thoroughly whitewashed.
Most recently, Suarez returned from over three years away to easily dispatch the tough Montana De La Rosa, putting her right back into the title mix.
The strawweight division remains in some flux right now, with both the No.1-ranked Esparza and No.2-ranked Rose Namajunas not really in title contention. Therefore, if Suarez can blast through Andrade as she’s done to her other foes, a bout with the champ – either Weili Zhang or Amanda Lemos – could definitely come next.
The big question is whether she can do it. Suarez isn’t a flawless fighter by any means. Despite her incredible ground skills, she lacks a little standing, and has been known to throw wild, undefended punches at times to set up her takedowns.
That’d be risky against ‘Bate Estaca’, who is a hugely heavy hitter with the power to turn the lights off on any opponent. However, it’s also fair to say that Andrade has struggled on the ground before, most notably with Erin Blanchfield.
Overall, this isn’t a safe fight for Suarez by any means, but it’s hard to imagine Andrade stopping all of the takedowns she’s going to attempt. And realistically, if she gets one, the fight is probably going to be over. Therefore, the pick is Suarez.
The Pick: Suarez via first-round submission
#3. UFC Fight Night: The Main Card
In a light heavyweight tilt, Dustin Jacoby takes on Kennedy Nzechukwu. This one will likely come down to whether Nzechukwu’s extreme power and explosive ability can get him past Jacoby’s slightly more technical kickboxing game.
With that said, ‘The African Savage’ has shown massive improvements in his most recent fights, most notably showing some new wrinkles on the ground when he fought at UFC 288 in May. Given his relative youth in this division, he could be a man to watch. The pick is Nzechukwu via late TKO.
In a featherweight bout, Diego Lopes takes on Gavin Tucker. This one is tricky to call because it’s hard to get a true handle on either man.
Lopes has only fought in the octagon once, losing to Movsar Evloev on late notice in May. Tucker, meanwhile, has been with the promotion since 2017, but has only fought sporadically, putting together a record of 4-2. He also suffered a KO loss in his last bout, which happened in March 2021.
Lopes didn’t really look special in his fight with Evloev, but given Tucker’s long layoff and advanced age – 37 – the pick is the Brazilian via decision.
In a light heavyweight clash, Tanner Boser takes on Aleksa Camur. Once considered a decent prospect with quick hands as a heavyweight, Boser hasn’t looked too hot recently, losing his last two fights, the most recent via KO.
Camur, on the other hand, hasn’t really shone in the UFC at all since his arrival there in 2020. He’s lost his last two fights pretty handily, and lacks the experience of Boser. Therefore, the pick is ‘The Bulldozer’ via KO.
Finally, Ignacio Bahamondes faces Ludovit Klein in a lightweight bout. While he’s only fought sporadically over recent years, Bahamondes has built quite the hype around him. He’s 3-1 in the octagon with two truly spectacular finishes, including a spinning wheel kick over Roosevelt Roberts.
Klein, on the other hand, drew his last bout, but is still riding a three-fight unbeaten streak. Prior to this, though, he lost two fights relatively handily.
This is a relatively tricky bout to call, but Bahamondes looks to be the quicker, more explosive fighter, and so the pick is the native of Chile via KO.
#4. UFC Fight Night: The Prelims
Picks in bold
UFC featherweight bout: Billy Quarantillo vs. Damon Jackson
UFC bantamweight bout: Kyler Phillips vs. Raoni Barcelos
UFC welterweight bout: Jeremiah Wells vs. Carlston Harris
UFC featherweight bout: Sean Woodson vs. Jesse Butler
UFC flyweight bout: Cody Durden vs. Jake Hadley
UFC flyweight bout: Ode Osbourne vs. Assu Almabayev
