UFC: Vera vs. Sandhagen Predictions

• Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
• When: Match 25, Saturday

The UFC bantamweight division is one of the most interesting in the organization right now. There are plenty of elite competitors here who are aiming to dethrone Aljamain Sterling and reach the belt. Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen are such two, and their future depends greatly upon the result of their direct encounter. Vera is on the rise and wants the title shot. On the other side, Sandhagen was always elite, and was on the verge of receiving the opportunity to attack the belt, yet he always fell short of it.

Vera vs. Sandhagen Preview

Marlon Vera

El Chito has four wins in a row, with the overall record in his career 20 wins, seven losses, and one draw. For a 30-year-old, that’s quite a lot of experience, and it seems that the Ecuadorian has only now entered his prime. He lost to Jose Aldo via unanimous decision, and after that, went on to beat Davey Grant, Frankie Edgar (a ferocious front kick KO), Rob Fon and at last, Dominick Cruz, whom he obliterated with a head kick KO.

Vera is versatile in the ring, which can be told when looking at his record breakdown – eight wins were by a knockout, the same number via submission, and four after a decision. All seven losses were via decision, telling us that the Ecuadorian has a tough chin. 

He likes to impose an aggressive tempo inside the octagon and collect points from a distance. His high kicks are nasty, and overall, El Chito is very skilled when it comes to leg kicks. Not only that, he is smartly using them, implementing specific tactical thoughts. 

Cory Sandhagen

The bantamweight division is kinda odd, with all the major talents not getting enough love and justice. Petr Yan is no longer a champ, and Sandhagen never got the opportunity to get the belt. The American is one of the most flamboyant and exciting guys to watch in the UFC, with all his combo kicks and highlight-reel KOs. Yet, he always fell short of getting the big prize. 

Sandman was better than Song Yadong in his most recent fight, beating the rival via doctor stoppage between the fourth and fifth round. The American was relentless in this one, and Yadong really didn’t have too many chances of staying unbeaten. Before that, Sandhagen lost two in a row to TJ Dillashaw via split decision (a highly controversial one) and via unanimous decision against Yan. 

With 15 victories and four losses, Sandhagen has enough experience for these types of battles. Of those 15 triumphs, seven were via KO, three by submission and five after a decision.

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Vera vs. Sandhagen Prediction

Vera is on the rise and has improved significantly after his previous few fights. On the other side, we saw Sandhagen getting smashed against Yan, which left a bad impression on us, despite his latter win. Overall, we believe that El Chito has more versatility on the offensive side, so our pick would be him winning. 

Our verdict: Vera wins

Vera vs. Sandhagen Odds

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