MMA Junkie fight analyst Dan Tom takes a closer look at the UFC on ESPN 50 headliner between Cory Sandhagen and Rob Font.
After an interim bantamweight title loss to Petr Yan in 2021, Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) has bounced back with a TKO of Song Yadong in 2022 and a split decision over Marlon Vera in March. The 31-year-old takes on late replacement Font (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who stepped in for Umar Nurmagomedov. Because Font took the assignment so late, the fight will be at a 140-pound contract weight. A win for Sandhagen would give him his first streak of three or more fights since 2019.
After a modest four-fight winning streak against some serious names – current Bellator flyweight champion Sergio Pettis, former LFA champ Ricky Simon, ex-WSOF titleholder Marlon Moraes and former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt – Font dropped back-to-back fights to Jose Aldo and Marlon Vera. But in April, the 36-year-old returned after nearly a year off and took out Adrian Yanez for a first-round TKO and post-fight bonus. The short-notice headliner will be Font’s fourth main event in five fights.
