UFC Des Moines Picks for Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueredo and Other Fights on May 3

If you’re after UFC Des Moines picks, you’re at the right place! We’ll now analyze MMA odds for Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueredo, Reiner de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal, Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate, and other fights.

Apart from dissecting the most exciting matchups of the May 3 event, we’ll also provide you with betting picks for all other fights on the card. Sounds good? If so, let’s start!

Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueredo: The Sandman Brings Figgy’s Nightmares to Life

Cory Sandhagen headlines UFC Des Moines against former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo in a bantamweight bout.

Sandhagen (17-5) is coming off a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov in a title eliminator, but his performance was okay. He did get taken down five times, but he didn’t get finished in 25 minutes, which is a pretty decent achievement given everything.

In fact, all of his UFC losses happened against elite opposition – Petr Yan, T.J. Dillashaw, and Aljamain Sterling. Aljo was the only one who managed to finish him (submission).

Now, he’s facing a fine grappler with an impressive portfolio. Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) is a two-time champ, but his recent loss to Petr Yan raised some red flags.

He absorbed 121 strikes while dishing out less than half, and while he showed heart by lasting the distance, it highlighted concerns about his durability at bantamweight.

Reiner de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal: Potential UFC Des Moines Upset

Reinier de Ridder (19-2) is a world-class grappler with elite submission credentials. He’s a black belt in both BJJ and judo, and has 13 submission victories on his record.

This includes back-to-back tapouts in his first two UFC bouts – against Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert. He’s also an unusually tall middleweight at 6’4” with a 79-inch reach, giving him a physical edge in striking exchanges.

Knowing all this, he seems like the guy who can derail the Bo Nickal hype train. So, why are the UFC Des Moines odds favoring his opponent? Because Nickal is 7-0 with 6 finishes (4 by submission and two by KO/TKO).

However, keep in mind that Nickal’s never fought against a ranked opponent. In fact, May 3 will be the first time he’s locking horns with someone from the Top 15 Middleweight Rankings.

Yana Santos vs. Miesha Tate: Cupcake’s Big Comeback

Miesha Tate returns at UFC Des Moines looking to reignite her title hopes. The former bantamweight champ holds a 20-9 record and has beaten top names like Holly Holm, Jessica Eye, and Liz Carmouche. At nearly 39, this could be one of her final runs.

Cupcake’s grappling and wrestling give her a clear advantage over Yana Santos, a striker who’s struggled since returning from a long layoff.

Santos snapped a four-year winless streak last summer but hasn’t looked convincing. Ranked 10^th, she’s fighting to stay relevant, while Tate, ranked 11^th, is aiming for one last shot at gold.

UFC Des Moines Picks for All Remaining Fights

• Santiago Ponzinibbio (+105) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (-125) – Daniel Rodriguez
• Montel Jackson (-200) vs. Daniel Marcos (+170) – Montel Jackson
• Jeremy Stephens (+385) vs. Mason Jones (-500) – Mason Jones
• Cameron Smotherman (+145) vs. Serhiy Sidey (-170) – Serhiy Sidey
• Thomas Petersen (-225) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (+190) – Thomas Petersen
• Marina Rodriguez (+230) vs. Gillian Robertson (-270) – Gillian Robertson
• Ryan Loder (+250) vs. Azamat Bekoev (-300) – Azamat Bekoev
• Juliana Miller (+185) vs. Ivana Petrović (-220) – Ivana Petrović
• Gaston Bolaños (-170) vs. Quang Le (+145) – Gaston Bolaños

Some of these UFC Des Moines picks look destined to win, starting with the one for the Gaston Bolaños vs. Quang Le fight, which is supposed to start the action on May 3. We think “The Dreamcrasher” will crush the dreams of his Vietnamese opponent, who’s hoping to end his 2-fight losing streak.

We also predict that Ivana Petrović will get back on the winning track after a split-decision loss last November. Another of the UFC Des Moines picks that we’re fairly confident will win is Azamat Bekoev.

This guy is a hell of a striker who’s not a UFC star (yet) due to his bad defensive grappling. But that’s not something that should worry him ahead of the fight with Ryan Loder, who’s a striking-first fighter as well.

We also have a couple of UFC Des Moines picks that we think will win, but on which we wouldn’t wager too much. One of those is Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez, in which D-Rod only has a slight advantage in our eyes.

Then, there’s the fight between Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones. Jones is seen as a huge favorite, but don’t think Stephens should be underestimated. This guy is a former UFC fighter who fought in the PFL before joining BKFC.

The reason why he’s such a huge underdog is that he doesn’t do great in the clinch or on the ground. But he definitely has the nuclear option in his fists, so don’t be shocked if he knocks his opponent out. We’re not 100% sure it will happen, which is why we recommend staying away from this fight.