It might not have been the striker-versus-striker matchup many people were hoping for, but Cory Sandhagen continued to build a compelling case for a shot at the UFC bantamweight title with a five-round shutout of fellow contender Rob Font at UFC Nashville.
The pair faced off in the main event in the "Music City," with much of the pre-fight narrative comparing the pair's spectacular striking credentials. But on fight night itself, Sandhagen showed he had more tools at his disposal as he swapped punches and flying knees for takedowns positional control as he ran out a clear winner on the judges' scorecards. All three scorers saw the fight the same: 50-45 to Sandhagen.
After the win, Sandhagen said he'd be heading to Boston to get an up close and personal view of the bantamweight title fight between champ Aljamain Sterling and challenger Sean O'Malley, as he told Michael Bisping, "Sterling and O'Malley, I'll see you guys in Boston. I've got next."
The co-main event saw undefeated strawweight contender Tatiana Suares claim the scalp of a former champion as she submitted Jessica Andrade in the second round of their 115-pound matchup.
Suarez, who was competing in only her second bout since 2019 due to injury, looked in outstanding form as she locked up a guillotine choke early in Round 2 to claim back-to-back submission wins since her injury layoff.
Now standing at 10-0 for her career, Suarez can expect to see her ranking spot receive a boost when they are updated on Monday. She went into the bout ranked 10th at 115 pounds, but following her decisive finsh of the fifth-ranked contender – and a former champion, to boot – Suarez could well be a top-five contender by midweek.
Elsewhere on the card, there was a notable win for light heavyweight Dustin Jacoby, who snapped a two-fight skid with a first-round TKO of in-form Kennedy Nzechukwu.
Nzechukwu headed into the bout riding a three-fight, three-finish, win streak, but ran into a determined Jacoby, who finished his man with strikes after just 82 seconds to get his form back on track after decision losses to Khalil Rountree and Azamat Murzakanov in his previous two outings.
The event also saw three impressive finishes further down the card. Diego Lopes locked up a first-round armbar to finish Gavin Tucker after just 98 seconds of their featherweight main card matchup, while Carlston Harris claimed the comeback of the night as he choked out Jeremiah Wells early in the third round of their welterweight preliminary card bout.
The night also kicked off with a submission, as debuting Kazakh flyweight Asse Almabayev announced his arrival in the UFC's 125-pound division with an impressive display and a second-round rear-naked choke finish of Ode Osbourne.
UFC Nashville: Official results
MAIN CARD
- Cory Sandhagen def. Rob Font via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
- Tatiana Suarez def. Jessica Andrade via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:31
- Dustin Jacoby def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:22
- Diego Lopes def. Gavin Tucker via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:38
- Tanner Boser def. Aleksa Camur via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Ludovit Klein def. Ignacio Bahamondes via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Kyler Phillips def. Raoni Barcelos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Carlston Harris def. Jeremiah Wells via technical submission (anaconda choke) – Round 3, 1:50
- Billy Quarantillo def. Damon Jackson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Cody Durden def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Sean Woodson def. Dennis Buzukja via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Assu Almabayev def. Ode Osbourne via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:11
