UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen Vs. Figueiredo – Who Will Win? Fight Preview & Analysis

Kenji Nakamura

4 min read

Post on May 05, 2025

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Cory Sandhagen's Strengths and Weaknesses

Striking Prowess

Sandhagen is renowned for his dynamic and exciting striking. His style is characterized by:

• Exceptional Footwork: Sandhagen's movement is incredibly fluid, allowing him to create angles and land devastating strikes.
• Diverse Striking Arsenal: He utilizes a wide range of techniques, including powerful kicks to the legs and body, lightning-fast punches, and devastating elbows. His ability to switch between these techniques keeps opponents guessing.
• High Fight IQ: Sandhagen demonstrates an exceptional understanding of distance and timing, often capitalizing on his opponent's openings with precision strikes.

His knockout win against Frankie Edgar perfectly showcases his devastating striking power and accuracy. He consistently lands significant strikes with power and precision, making him a dangerous opponent for anyone. His striking is a crucial aspect of his overall MMA game and a major factor in this UFC Fight Night matchup.

Weaknesses

Despite his striking dominance, Sandhagen's grappling defense has been exposed in the past. This represents a significant vulnerability:

• Susceptibility to Takedowns: While he's improved, Sandhagen can be taken down by wrestlers with strong takedown skills.
• Potential Ground Game Struggles: Once on the ground, he hasn't consistently shown the skills to defend submissions or escape dominant positions.

His fights against Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan highlight instances where his grappling defense was successfully breached, leading to periods of control for his opponents. This weakness will be a key factor in assessing his chances against Moreno, a renowned grappler.

Brandon Moreno's Strengths and Weaknesses

Ground Game Domination

Moreno's grappling is undoubtedly his most significant asset. He excels in:

• Excellent Takedowns: Moreno is adept at securing takedowns, often using a combination of speed, technique, and timing.
• Proficient Submission Game: His submission game is highly developed, with a variety of effective submissions in his arsenal, showcasing his mastery of both BJJ and wrestling.
• Superior Ground Control: Once he secures a takedown, Moreno demonstrates exceptional ground control, often maintaining top position and inflicting significant damage.

His victories over Deiveson Figueiredo exemplify his ability to control the fight on the ground, securing takedowns, maintaining top position and securing submissions. His ground game is a force to be reckoned with.

Striking Limitations

While Moreno's striking has improved significantly, it remains a relative weakness compared to Sandhagen:

• Less Diverse Striking Arsenal: His striking is less varied and dynamic than Sandhagen's, relying more on effective but simpler strikes.
• Power Disadvantage: In striking exchanges, he lacks the same power and knockout potential as Sandhagen.

Moreno's striking defence is a potential area of vulnerability against a striker of Sandhagen's caliber. While improved, it's a significant aspect to consider in predicting the outcome of this UFC Fight Night contest.

Fight Style Matchup and Prediction

Strategic Analysis

The fight's outcome hinges on the strategic approaches of both fighters:

• Sandhagen's Strategy: Sandhagen will likely prioritize keeping the fight standing, using his superior striking to land significant damage and control the distance.
• Moreno's Strategy: Moreno will almost certainly attempt to secure early takedowns, aiming to utilize his ground game to dominate the fight and potentially secure a submission victory.

The fight will likely be a dynamic clash of styles, with Sandhagen's striking against Moreno's grappling prowess. The success of each fighter's strategy will be crucial.

Prediction and Justification

Based on the analysis of their strengths and weaknesses, and the potential strategic approaches, Moreno is slightly favored to win this UFC Fight Night match. While Sandhagen possesses superior striking, Moreno’s dominant grappling provides a high likelihood of securing takedowns and controlling the fight on the ground. If Moreno can consistently take the fight to the ground and avoid Sandhagen's most powerful strikes, his superior ground game should prove decisive. The betting odds will likely reflect this close matchup, but the fight itself promises to be a thrilling battle.

Conclusion

UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo presents a compelling matchup between two skilled fighters with contrasting styles. Sandhagen's dynamic striking presents a significant threat, but Moreno's dominant grappling gives him a strong advantage. The key will be whether Moreno can successfully neutralize Sandhagen's striking and impose his ground game. The UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo event is expected to be highly competitive. The predicted winner is Brandon Moreno due to his superior grappling skills. Don't miss this clash of styles! Tune in to witness this exciting matchup and let us know your predictions for the UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo fight in the comments below! Share your thoughts on who you think will win the Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo fight!