Split Verdict Sends Cory Sandhagen Past Marlon Vera in UFC on ESPN 43 Main Event

Cory Sandhagen flexed the kind of all-terrain game that leads some to view him as a future titleholder in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

The Elevation Fight Team star outclassed Marlon Vera for the better part of 25 minutes, as he claimed a split decision in the UFC on ESPN 43 headliner on Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Judges Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee saw it 50-45 and 49-46 for Sandhagen, while Joel Ojeda cast a puzzling 48-47 scorecard for Vera.

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Sandhagen (16-4, 9-3 UFC) flummoxed “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America” semifinalist with fluid stance switches and constant lateral movement. He outstruck Vera across wide swaths of the match—his right uppercut was particularly effective—and completed takedowns in the first, second and fifth rounds, consolidating them with positional control and ground-and-pound. Vera (20-8-1, 14-7 UFC) failed to get fully in gear until the waning moments of Round 5, where he connected with a standing elbow in the clinch and followed it with a clean left hook. By then, it was a case of too little too late.

Holm Overpowers Overmatched Santos

Jackson-Wink MMA mainstay Holly Holm outgrappled ex-Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder Yana Santos to a clear-cut unanimous decision in their three-round women’s bantamweight co-main event. Holm (15-6, 8-6 UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

Santos (14-7, 4-4 UFC) tried to engage “The Preacher’s Daughter” in the clinch but soon realized she was swimming against the current. The stronger, more athletic Holm outmaneuvered her at close range, then added takedowns to the equation. She was especially dominant in the second round, where she put Santos on the canvas and passed from one advantageous position to the next, scoring with ground-and-pound from half guard, side control, the mounted crucifix and full mount. Holm followed the same blueprint in Round 3, briefly threatened with a rear-naked choke and then resumed her assault from top position.

The 41-year-old Holm has three of her last four fights.

Lingo Dispatches Replacement Lingo

Former M-1 Global champion Nate Landwehr put away Fortis MMA representative Austin Lingo with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their action-packed featherweight attraction. A short-notice substitution for Alex Caceres, Lingo (9-2, 2-2 UFC) bowed out 4:11 into Round 2.

Landwehr (17-4, 4-2 UFC) withstood his adversary’s advances in the first round, along with an inadvertent clash of heads that resulted in a cut near his right eye. The Tennessee native found another gear in the middle stanza. There, he attacked Lingo’s body with front kicks, buckled him with a head kick and turned up the heat after securing a takedown. A blindside punch from behind sent the Texan’s mouthpiece flying and resulted in his leaving his neck exposed. Landwehr cinched the choke, cut off avenues of escape and prompted the tapout.

The loss snapped Lingo’s modest two-fight winning streak.

Resurgent Barber Upends Lee

Team Alpha Male’s Maycee Barber put her fourth straight win in the books with a contentious split decision over onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance titleholder Andrea Lee in a three-round women’s flyweight feature. Judges Frank Collazo and Dan Miragliotta scored it 29-28 and 30-27 for Barber, while Lee saw it 29-28 for Lee.

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Neither woman truly seized the reins in a back-and-forth battle at 125 pounds. Lee (13-7, 5-5 UFC) completed all five of her attempted takedowns and paired them with positional dominance and mild ground-and-pound. Even so, Barber (12-2, 7-2 UFC) fought effectively from her back. The standup was more of a stalemate. Lee picked her shots from distance but often struggled with her opponent’s aggression. Barber battered her body and arms with kicks, mixed in the occasional combination and did enough to skate by.

Lee has lost five of her last seven bouts.

Duraev Outhustles Rangy Njokuani

Early takedowns and superior output allowed former two-division Absolute Championship Berkut titleholder Albert Duraev to eke out a split decision over Chidi Njokuani in a three-round middleweight showcase. All thee cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards: Lee for Njokuani, Miragliotta and D’Amato for Duraev.

Njokuani (22-9, 2-2 UFC) failed to maximize his four-inch height and five-inch reach advantages. Duraev (16-4, 2-1 UFC) executed two takedowns in the first round, piled up some valuable control time and forced his counterpart out of his comfort zone. When Njokuani landed, he did so with authority, especially with body kicks. However, the volume he needed simply was not there. Duraev pushed him onto the back foot without much resistance, held his own in the standup exchanges and walked away with his hand raised.

The 34-year-old Duraev has rattled off 11 wins across his past 12 appearances.

Pineda Guillotines Favored Lutz

Former Fury Fighting Championship titleholder Daniel Pineda dispatched Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Tucker Lutz with a guillotine choke in the second round of their featherweight opener. Lutz (12-3, 1-2 UFC) conceded defeat 2:50 into Round 2, suffering his second setback in as many outings.

In his first appearance since June 26, 2021, Pineda (28-14, 5-5 UFC) hacked away at the Ground Control rep’s lead leg with kicks and sat him down with a counter right hook. It set the table for what was to come. Pineda, 37, countered an attempted takedown with a front headlock, hammered him with a close-range knee strike to the face and eventually transitioned to the back. Lutz initiated a scramble, wandered into the guillotine and raised the white flag once it became clear there was no way out.

Pineda has secured all 28 of his victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission.

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