Preview: UFC on ESPN 43 ‘Vera vs. Sandhagen’

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will head to San Antonio before a rare off week. The UFC on ESPN 43 headliner looks like the type of fight that can redeem an entire event by itself, as bantamweight contenders Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen square off as two of the most exciting fighters in perhaps the UFC’s most exciting division. It helps make up for the fact that some of the other bouts on the main draw could be a bit gnarly. Holly Holm takes on Yana Santos in what could be a grind in the co-feature, and while Andrea Lee-Maycee Barber represents some good matchmaking, it also may not be all that engaging in practice. With that said, the bout order breaks up any potential monotony: Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo should combine for a guaranteed war, and Manel Kape has the potential to bring some fireworks against Alex Perez.

Now to the preview for the UFC on ESPN 43 “Vera vs. Sandhagen” main card:

Bantamweights

#3 BW | Marlon Vera (20-7-1, 14-6 UFC) vs. #5 BW | Cory Sandhagen (15-4, 8-3 UFC)

ODDS: Sandhagen (-165), Vera (+140)

An excellent bantamweight pairing takes center stage, as the 135-pound contender picture remains delightfully loaded. Vera is a prime exhibit of just how much luck is involved with the development of a mixed martial arts career, as there is an alternate universe where “Chito” does not make it to a second UFC fight. A fan favorite on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter Latin America,” the Ecuadorian lost his first fight coming off the show, making it far from a guarantee that he would get another chance. However, Vera got the opportunity to rebound and made good on the shot, and since then, he has enjoyed a slow but impressive rise on the ladder. Initially a one-dimensional grappling specialist, it became apparent around the time of his 2016 appearance against Guangyou Ning that Vera was putting in the work as a striker, even if the next few years were marked by his struggling to overcome some slow starts. Vera could typically figure out things by the end of three rounds—typically via finish—but with his fights tending to be dicier wins than needed, there was not much of a sign that he had his current championship upside. At some point in his last few fights, the idea that Vera could find big moments of offense over time has felt more like a feature than a bug in terms of his style. Leaning on his seemingly inhuman level of durability, Vera has just looked to apply consistent pressure in the hopes he can either separate himself from his opponent on the scorecards or separate his opponent from his senses. Former champs Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz were each ahead of Vera up until the point that they ate head kick knockouts, and a five-round decision over Rob Font was notable for just how much “Chito” was able to make up the difference of Font’s higher pace by landing well-placed and brutal strikes. Because of the depth of the bantamweight division, it does feel like Vera will eventually run up against someone who can outwork him, outland him and survive. Sandhagen may just be that man.

Sandhagen is another fighter who came out of nowhere to rise to contention. His UFC debut was a complete afterthought, only coming together on less than a week’s notice to help fill out a card that was quickly losing fights. Sandhagen impressed as a prospect with his size for the division and ability to set a pace, but conventional wisdom was that the UFC was rushing him up the ladder with fights against John Lineker and Raphael Assuncao, which made it a surprise when he beat both via decision. Sandhagen’s all-offense approach subsequently cost him against Aljamain Sterling, who took him down and submitted him in under 90 seconds, but “Sandman” quickly regained his hype against the old guard of the division, knocking out Marlon Moraes and the aforementioned Edgar in highlight-reel fashion and remaining a contender ever since. Sandhagen endured a bit of a frustrating year in 2021, as two standout performances did not get him much of anywhere. Opinions were split as to who won his main event against T.J. Dillashaw, but the judges favored Dillashaw’s pressure and control over Sandhagen’s consistently high volume. Even with the loss, the narrow nature of the defeat meant that, with Sterling and Dillashaw each injured later that year, Sandhagen still got the call for an interim title fight against Petr Yan. While Sandhagen put in another complete performance that showed off his ability to set a ridiculous pace, Yan met him every step of the way and walked away with the clear decision. Still just 30, Sandhagen has some time left in his prime and has been using it to work some things out. He was a much more evasive fighter and used his reach well to beat Yadong Song in September, taking advantage of Song’s occasionally static boxing style. However, Vera is a completely different animal when it comes to fighting from range, with a slightly longer frame used even more effectively thanks to his kicks. With both men being grapplers more than wrestlers, it is unlikely that either can control the other on the mat, making this an interesting striking match where Vera figures to be the one pressuring while both men eat a ton of shots. Sandhagen could wind up winning this on volume, but the bet is that Vera can make his approach work on the scorecards, especially since he will likely be helped by the optics. He is the harder shot-for-shot hitter and is among the sport’s elite in terms of eating offense and looking no worse for wear. He was also able to keep a solid pace of his own against Font, and while Sandhagen figures to have more success against Vera, the call is that this fight looks much the same in the broad strokes. Sandhagen might make his game work for the better part of 25 minutes, but he will leave enough on the table defensively for Vera to land moments of momentum-changing offense and take at least three rounds. The pick is Vera via decision.

Jump To »
Vera vs. Sandhagen
Holm vs. Santos
Landwehr vs. Lingo
Barber vs. Lee
Kape vs. Perez
Njokuani vs. Duraev
The Prelims