Who's fighting on the UFC card tonight, May 3, 2025? Know your UFC Des Moines main and prelim fighters, records, and highlights

UFC Des Moines consists of 12 bouts, and it is the final event before UFC 315. In the main event, it features a high stakes clash between ex-interim bantamweight title challenger Cory Sandhagen and former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

The co-headliner, meanwhile, is a middleweight encounter between two exceptional grapplers in Bo Nickal and Reinier de Ridder. However, there's far more to the card than its two primary fights.

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UFC card tonight: UFC Des Moines main card fighters

The main card's fighters are as follows:

• Bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
• Middleweight: Reinier de Ridder vs. Bo Nickal
• Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez
• Bantamweight: Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos
• Bantamweight: Cameron Smotherman vs. Serhiy Sidney
• Lightweight: Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones

Cory Sandhagen (17-5)

Cory Sandhagen is a well-rounded generalist coming off a tough loss to Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 7. Prior to that defeat, 'The Sandman' was on a three-fight win streak. He is also a former interim bantamweight title challenger, with a stunning knockout over the legendary Frankie Edgar.

Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1)

A powerful submission specialist who once ruled over the flyweight division, Deiveson Figueiredo eventually made the move to bantamweight. He found initial success, authoring a three-fight win streak before tasting defeat against Petr Yan in a competitive bout.

Reinier de Ridder (19-2)

A former ONE two-division champion, Reinier de Ridder is a UFC newcomer, having just two wins in the promotion. However, both wins came via submission, which is the Dutchman's specialty as a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Bo Nickal (7-0)

Three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion Bo Nickal is widely regarded as a future world title contender at middleweight. He's undefeated and has scored four consecutive wins in the promotion, with his latest coming over Paul Craig.

Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8)

At one point, Santiago Ponzinibbio was considered a future threat to the top of the welterweight division. Unfortunately, injuries and health-related issues derailed his career in a major way. He recently bounced back from a 1-4 run with a TKO over Carlston Harris, and will look to score a second straight win.

Daniel Rodriguez (18-5)

After a fairly impressive first couple of fights in the UFC, Daniel Rodriguez was matched up with competition far too above his skill-level, triggering a three-fight skid. Fortunately, he has since tasted victory, edging Alex Morono out via split-decision.

Montel Jackson (14-2)

Montel Jackson is a longtime fighter in the promotion, and currently on the greatest run of his career, with five consecutive wins, including two knockouts over Rani Yahya and Da'Mon Blackshear.

Daniel Marcos (17-0 (1))

Daniel Marcos made his promotional debut back in 2023 with a knockout over Saimon Oliveira. He has yet to taste defeat, but the finishes have dried up, as he has won via decision and taken part in a no-contest thereafter.

Cameron Smotherman (12-4)

The casual fanbase will be unfamiliar with Cameron Smotherman. That is because he is a newcomer to the promotion, with just two wins, including an anaconda choke against Ryan Mondala.

Serhiy Sidey (11-2)

Serhiy Sidey is Canada's latest export. After a rocky start to his stint in the promotion, with a split-decision loss to Ramon Taveras, who he knocked on the DCWS to earn a contract, he scored his first promotional win against Garrett Armfield.

Jeremy Stephens (29-21 (1))

BKFC sensation Jeremy Stephens returns on a one-fight deal after nearly three years away. While heavy-handed and enjoying success at BKFC, Stephens is on a jaw-droppingly poor run of form in MMA at 1-7 (1) in his last 9 fights.

Mason Jones (15-2 (1))

Former two-division Cage Warriors champion Mason Jones is on a hot streak of four straight wins. He makes his UFC return this evening, and will hope for a better run than last time, which saw him go 1-2 (1).

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UFC card tonight: UFC Des Moines prelim fighters

A list of the prelim card's fighters are as follows:

• Women's bantamweight: Yana Santos (15-8) vs. Miesha Tate (20-9)
• Middleweight: Azamat Bekoev (19-3) vs. Ryan Loder (7-1)
• Women's strawweight: Marina Rodriguez (17-5-2) vs. Gillian Robertson (15-8)
• Bantamweight: Gaston Bolaños (8-4) vs. Quang Le (8-2)
• Heavyweight: Don'Tale Mayes (11-8) vs. Thomas Petersen (9-3)
• Women's flyweight: Juliana Miller (3-3) vs. Ivana Petrović (7-2)