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As they say in show business, the show must go on. And that’s exactly the case for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font. The original headline bout had Cory Sandhagen taking on Umar Nurmagomedov in a bantamweight tussle. However, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the bout leaving the main event in peril. Well, it just so happened that Rob Font needed an opponent after Song Yadong pulled out of their scheduled fight at UFC 292. Like a match made inside the Octagon the two came together to make things work for Saturday.
A fighter changing his plans and routine to take on a short-notice bout has to leave him at a disadvantage. Font will enter the Octagon a few weeks earlier than expected hitting the board as a +285 underdog on the UFC betting line. Sandhagen, the No. 4 ranked contender in the division, is riding a two-fight winning streak after two straight failed title bids. He was 7-1 in the UFC before dropping a split decision to T.J. Dillashaw and a unanimous decision to Petr Yan in 2021. He scored a TKO win of Song Yadong last September and most recently beat Marlon Vera. Sandhagen went off at -350 at UFC betting sites.
The main event is one of six fights on the main card with an additional six fights in the prelim round. Bet on UFC online at BetRivers sportsbook with odds for every fight on the ticket. The action takes place on Saturday, August 5, 2023 from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. Prelims start at 6 p.m. ET with the main card scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. All fights will air on ESPN.
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Font Main Card Odds
Rob Font +285 vs. Cory Sandhagen -350
Jessica Andrade +295 vs. Tatiana Suarez -360
Dustin Jacoby +140 vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu -160
Gavin Tucker +152 vs. Diego Lopes -177
Aleksa Camur +125 vs. Tanner Boser -145
Ludovit Klein +190 vs. Ignacio Bahamondes -225
In terms of his opponent this is actually a better fight for Font (20-6, 9 KOs, 4 SUBs) so I can see why he jumped at the chance to take on a higher ranked opponent. However, it doesn’t mean squat if he loses so I’m sure his training regimen ahead of his previously scheduled August 19 fight with Yadong got turned up a notch when accepting the deal.
Font is coming off a win his last time out getting back to the style that made him so successful. He’s a volume puncher and he landed a number of solid shots early to stop Adrian Yanez in the first round at UFC 287. It was encouraging since his previous two fights were unanimous decision losses to Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo. Showing off his attacking style, Font set a UFC bantamweight record for significant strikes landed against Vera. However, he was dropped in three straight rounds leading to the verdict.
Entering the bout ranked No. 7 Font is missing that signature win on his resume. This is his chance to show what he can do and ascend the polls for a possible shot at the title down the road. And he’ll certainly be busy attacking Sandhagen while launching blows at an incredible rate. It’s nice when the hits connect, like they did against Yanez. But when they don’t Font is vulnerable and can be taken advantage of.
One thing, among the many, that Sandhagen (16-4, 7 KOs, 3 SUBs) does well is bait opponents into fighting his fight. There are times when it seems like Sandhagen is getting taken behind the woodshed only to turn the tables leaving the other fighter asking himself, “What the hell just happened?”
With consecutive wins the Sandman improved to 9-3 inside the Octagon with hopes of tracking down another shot at the title. Six of his UFC wins came via stoppage and all three setbacks were against fighters that owned the bantamweight title. His first UFC loss was a title eliminator to current division champ Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250 where he was stopped with a rear naked choke in the first round. Then came the two-fight skid against Dillashaw and Yan. You can’t say Sandhagen hasn’t fought anybody and he’s probably a better all-around fighter now than he was when losing to Sterling.
Nearly all UFC betting sites offer different markets and if you’re backing the Sandman it’s worth looking into since there’s not a lot of value at his price. Placing a UFC bet on Sandhagen to win by submission pays +500. Font tends to open himself up to attacks when taking the offensive leaving him open to Sandhagen’s vicious strikes. A Sandman (T)KO offers less of a payout than a submission but still has positive odds making it a good play.
UFC Prediction: Cory Sandhagen -350 / (T)KO
Check out the latest UFC betting odds at BetRivers.
