At UFC Des Moines last weekend, there was a super technical match between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. Sandhagen’s skills were just a bit better as we saw the finish of the fight.
Here’s a breakdown of the end of the fight and how Figueiredo injured his knee.
Cory Sandhagen’s 50/50 Position Breakdown
Throughout the fight, we saw some great technical work from both fighters. Sandhagen is arguably the most technical and well-rounded bantamweight in the UFC and showed it in this fight.
In the finishing sequence of the fight, Cory was in the 50/50 position from bottom. He decided to invert inward and did a berinbolo roll to catch an inside heel hook.
Deiveson back stepped out to defend against the attack and counter. At this point, Sandhagen changed attacks and used the 50/50 position to sweep Figueiredo.
This was when Deiveson made the critical mistake which cost him the fight and caused his knee injury. Instead of accepting the sweep, Figueiredo attempted to stop the sweep by leaning his weight forward.
When he did this, all of the pressure went to his knee, causing a ligament to tear. This was no accident as this is what happens when you incorrectly defend this sweep from 50/50.
Cory himself even explained this in a post-fight interview with Full Send MMA.
“When I got to the position I like, it’s called 50/50. If I sit up and you lean forward your knee pops. It was absolutely not an accident.”- Cory Sandhagen.
Cory Sandhagen finishes Deiveson Figueiredo. 🔥🔥🔥#UFC #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/MWvHXxy8NB
— Wafer (@waferred) May 4, 2025
Bobby is martial artist for almost 20 years with a BJJ black belt under Professor Sergio Miranda. He is also a karate black and former combat sports athlete, who loves all things grappling.