Matches to Make After UFC Des Moines

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Iowa for UFC Des Moines. The 12-fight card was headlined by a five-round fight between bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo. It also featured former One Championship middleweight and light heavyweight titleholder Reinier de Ridder give 185-pound prospect Bo Nickal his toughest fight to date.

Here are five matches to make following UFC Des Moines.

Cory Sandhagen vs. Petr Yan

Sandhagen (18-5) got back into the win column by getting a second-round TKO over Figueiredo (24-5-1), who injured his knee during the fight. "Sandman" has now won four of his last five and should be just a fight away from a title shot due to his recent defeat to Umar Nurmagomedov. A rematch against former titleholder Yan would make sense for both men as a title eliminator. Yan (18-5) is coming off wins over Song Yadong and Figueiredo and previously won a unanimous decision over Sandhagen in 2021. If the American can simultaneously get revenge and pull off the upset, then a fight against the winner of Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley would make a ton of sense.

Reinier de Ridder vs. Sean Strickland

De Ridder shocked Bo Nickal with punishing knees that led to the American wrestler suffering his first career defeat. De Ridder (20-2) is a former champ outside the UFC and this should give him the shot to vault into title contention. “The Dutch Knight” wisely called out Strickland afterward and that’s a fight I’d love to see. "Tarzan" is coming off a second defeat to Dricus Du Plessis but is still a respected former champion. If de Ridder can cause another upset, then a UFC title shot could be next.

Related » UFC Des Moines Round-by-Round Scoring

Daniel Rodriguez vs. Jake Matthews

The hard-hitting Rodriguez managed to melt Santiago Ponzinibbio with a gorgeous left hand. Now 19-5 as a pro, “D-Rod” has put together two straight wins. The American called out Matthews in his post-fight interview, and that’s a great fight. “The Celtic Kid” is another veteran that has continued to improve as the Australian put together recent decision victories over Phil Rowe and Fracisco Prado. While neither is an elite welterweight, they both always come to fight and I’d certainly tune in to watch.

Montel Jackson vs. Vinicius Oliveira

Jackson removed Daniel Marcos from the ranks of the undefeated during their bantamweight fight. Jackson (15-2) is now on an impressive six-fight win streak. As such, he should face another 135-pound fighter on an impressive win streak. Brazil's Oliveira fits the bill, as "Lok Dog" has put five victories together, including decisions over Said Nurmagomedov and Ricky Simon. The winner would be ready for a shot at a top-10 fighter afterward.

Serhiy Sidey vs. Benardo Sopai

Canada's Sidey picked up his second straight win inside the Octagon by outworking Cameron Smotherman over three rounds. Sidey (12-2) is now 2-1 inside the promotion after losing his debut against Ramon Taveras. I’d like to see the 28-year-old bantamweight take on one of the division's youngest prospects, Sopai. At just 24, "The Lion King" impressed in his first UFC win against Ricky Turcios earlier this year. Whoever emerges victorious will be worth keeping a closer eye on and can use the win to move onto bigger fights going forward.