UFC Fight Night: Cory Sandhagen defeats Marlon Vera by spilt decision

UFC Fight Night:Cory "The Sandman" Sandhagen (United States)- (50-45, 49-46) defeated Marlon "Chito" Vera (Ecuador)- (48-47) by a split decision on Sunday (March 26) at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. This fight in the Bantamweight division was the main event of UFC Fight Night. In the co-main event in the women's Bantamweight division, former champion Holly Holm (United States) defeated Yana Santos (Russia) by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27).

Main event: Cory Sandhagen vs Marlon Vera (Bantamweight division)

Cory Sandhagen, the number 5 contender, used all five rounds of the fight to punch and swarm Marlon Vera en route to a thrilling victory. Sandhagen dominated the first two rounds by putting Vera on the canvas and roughing him up from the top position. Vera seemed frustrated with the American's constant stance-switching and ability to attack without resetting. The Ecuadorian had trouble finding his tempo, and Sandhagen took advantage of it with combinations and takedowns. At the end of the fight, the judges gave the decision to Sandhagen.

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In the post-fight interview, the American called out the number 1 contender Merab Dvalishvili. "I'm super grateful. It was a blast fighting in front of a crowd again. I'm sorry it wasn't a KO like you were expecting, but the dude's hard to hit. That's how you beat Chito; Chito's a good fighter. [Calling out] Merab, you're hungry, I've got something for you to eat... and it doesn't taste good!" Sandhagen said.

Co-main event: Holly Holm vs Yana Santos (Bantamweight division)

Holly Holm, the former women’s bantamweight champion and current number 3 contender in the division, defeated Yana Santos by unanimous decision. Both fighters ran level for the opening half of the first round before Holm started to find her range and land cleaner blows on Santos. In the second round of this bout, Holm capitalised on a Santos slip to trap the Russian on the canvas, where she briefly worked from the mounted crucifix position and nearly found a finish.

In the third round, Holm returned the fight to the floor, continuing to dominate through to the final horn. Considered to be one of the best female boxers of all time, Holm's control throughout the fight earned her a unanimous decision on the scorecards.

"You never know, I'm always trying to come up with something new. I'm happy to be back! I want to be able to adapt wherever the fight goes. I wanted to strike more, but she was holding so tight, so I went to wrestling. [To return to champion] I've got to keep working hard," Holm said in the post-fight interview.

>Daniel Pineda defeats Tucker Lutz by submission (guillotine choke) at 2.50 of round 2.

>Albert Duraev (29-28, 29-28) defeats Chidi Njokuani (29-28) by a split decision.

>Maycee Barber (29-28, 30-27) defeats Andrea Lee (29-28) by a split decision.

>Nate Landwehr defeats Austin Lingo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:11 of round 2.

>Victor Altamirano defeats Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

>CJ Vergara defeats Daniel Lacerda by TKO (strikes) at 4.04 of round 2.

>Trevin Giles (29-28, 29-28) defeats Preston Parsons by a split decision (29-28).

>Lucas Alexander defeats Steven Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

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