4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo

Cory Sandhagen wants a crack at the UFC bantamweight title, and he's got a pretty solid argument.

Sandhagen was back in the Octagon in the main event of Saturday's UFC card in Des Moines, Iowa, taking on former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in a clash of top-five bantamweights.

The 33-year-old ended up winning in style, dominating the former flyweight champ in the first round and finishing him after an apparent knee injury in Round 2.

The win separated Sandhagen from a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov in his next most recent fight. Ordinarily, one win would probably not be enough to warrant a title shot. But after his statement win in Des Moines, he's in a bit of a unique situation.

Reinier de Ridder also made a statement at the weekend. The towering Dutchman, who previously held two belts in ONE Championship, improved to 3-0 in the Octagon with a vicious second-round body-shot KO of Bo Nickal.

Nickal, of course, was one of the hottest prospects in the UFC heading into the fight, so it was quite a moment for De Ridder. After the fact, he can expect a fight with one of the middleweight division's top dogs, the only question is who.

Welterweight veteran Daniel Rodriguez is also riding high after Saturday, having scored a slick knockout over Argentine striker Santiago Ponzinibbio on the main card.

We've also got to mention Canadian strawweight Gillian Robertson, who asserted herself as a legitimate contender in her division with a second-round TKO of Marina Rodriguez.

Here are the fights we'd like to see next for Sandhagen, De Ridder, Rodriguez and Robertson.

Cory Sandhagen vs. UFC 316 Main Event Winner

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By now, we know the next crack at UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will go to Sean O'Malley. The pair will meet at UFC 316 in June.

This speaks to the incredible success Dvalishvili is having in the division. He won the belt from O'Malley less than a year ago, and the American has not fought since. Despite that, they're already running back, and it's essentially because Dvalishvili has beaten most other contenders in the division already.

Most other contenders...with the exception of Sandhagen.

For that reason, Sandhagen is immediately one of the top contenders for the bantamweight belt after his win over Figueiredo. He's riding a win, and he's a fresh face for a champion who is already being forced to recycle old opponents.

Things could get complicated if O'Malley pulls off the upset at UFC 316, as Dvalishvili might be granted an immediate rematch. If the champion retains the belt, however, it's hard to imagine anybody but Sandhagen getting the opportunity.

Petr Yan is riding a nice win streak, of course, but he's one of the many elite bantamweights Dvalishvili has already beaten. For that reason, the chance will probably go to Sandhagen. After watching him dismantle Figueiredo in Des Moines, it's doubtful anyone will complain.

Reinier De Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

As impressive as Sandhagen was in Saturday's main event, it's arguable De Ridder was the biggest winner of the whole night.

He entered the Octagon with Bo Nickal as an underdog, but the fight ended up looking like a former two-division world champion against a relative novice, which is perhaps what we should have expected.

After handing Nickal his first loss, De Ridder can almost count on a fight with a top-12 or top-10 opponent. He made his personal choice clear in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, calling out former champion Sean Strickland.

That was a good callout, but we already know Israel Adesanya is on the hunt for a rematch with Strickland. And as one of the greatest middleweights ever and a proven UFC draw, he'll probably get his wish.

The good news is De Ridder has plenty of good backup options. Our pick is No. 9-ranked contender Anthony Hernandez.

Like De Ridder, Hernandez is one of a growing list of contenders closing in on a middleweight title shot. Unfortunately—and like the Dutchman—he's a few steps behind the likes of Khamzat Chimaev, Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov in the race to fight for the belt.

Both Hernandez and De Ridder are most likely going to need another win or two before fighting for the belt, and as luck would have it, they have similar styles, based on aggressive grappling and suffocating pressure, so it should be an excellent contest.

It would make a great Fight Night main event and an excellent addition to any upcoming pay-per-view—perhaps a show in Europe or the Middle East, which is closer to home for De Ridder.

Daniel Rodriguez vs. Randy Brown

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At this point, we can be pretty confident 38-year-old Daniel Rodriguez is never going to be a serious contender in the UFC welterweight division.

That being said, his flashy knockout of Santiago Ponzinibbio in Des Moines proved he is still fully capable of beating all but the best fighters in his division.

From here, we'd like to see him matched up with Jamaican-American Randy Brown.

Brown has been floating on the cusp of the welterweight top 15 for years, but he has always been a bit too inconsistent to punch through. However, he has recently discovered he possesses vicious knockout power—as proved in his recent KO of Nicolas Dalby and against Muslim Salikhov early in 2024— which has helped him score four wins in five fights.

He's just about ready for a ranked opponent, but probably needs one more big win before fighting somebody like Michael Page or Stephen Thompson.

Rodriguez, who was briefly ranked in the top 15 a few years ago and is now on a two-fight streak, seems like just the guy.

Gillian Robertson vs. Amanda Lemos

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Not many people gave Gillian Robertson a second look in the early phases of her UFC career. She was clearly very good, but she didn't scream "title challenger."

Slowly but surely, the Canadian is proving her skeptics wrong, and after four straight wins, including a lopsided stoppage of No. 9-ranked Marina Rodriguez in Des Moines, she is closing in on title contention at strawweight.

That being said, Robertson probably needs another win or two before she gets a crack at the belt currently held by China's Zhang Weili. If she gets her way, it will be a fight with former title challenger Amanda Lemos next.

Lemos, ranked No. 4 at strawweight, is riding an impressive win over Iasmin Lucindo. The Brazilian is now 38, but that win proved she still poses a lot of problems for the next generation of strawweights, no matter how promising they look.

Let's see if Robertson can pass the test, perhaps in the main event of an upcoming Fight Night card.