Sandhagen back in title picture after victory over Vera

Cory Sandhagen has put himself back in the bantamweight title picture after claiming a narrow but deserved victory over Marlon Vera in the main event of a UFC Fight Night held at the AT&T Centre in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday morning.

Sandhagen’s smart tactics – using mostly grappling and wrestling early on to control the slow-starting Vera – ensured that ‘Chito’ did not have enough information on the ‘Sandman’s’ stand-up in later rounds to make his usual stirring comeback.

Sandhagen took a split decision triumph (47-48 50-45 49-46 on the scorecards) but in truth he managed the fight expertly, only coming under pressure in round five when a frustrated Vera unleashed a flurry of strikes – a desperate attempt that was not enough to extend his winning streak to five matches.

"That's how you beat Chito," Sandhagen said during his post-fight interview with commentator Michael Bisping. The 30-year-old will likely claim Vera's No 3 spot in the UFC's bantamweight rankings.

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will fight Henry Cejudo, while Sean O'Malley is also a strong contender, leaving Sandhagen to call for a title eliminator against rising star Merab Dvalishvili.

“I would feel so slimy if I asked for a title shot before Merab," said Sandhagen. "Merab is an absolute animal and I respect him a ton. I want that No 1 spot. I have a line that's a little embarrassing: Merab, you're hungry. Well, I've got something for you to eat and it don't taste good!”

The remainder of the main card saw Holly Holm dominate Yana Santos for a unanimous decision triumph in the women’s bantamweight division; Nate Landwehr submitted Austin Lingo in a featherweight fight; Maycee Barber edged Andrea Lee via split decision in the women’s flyweight category; Albert Duraev narrowly got the better of Chidi Njokuani in a middleweight match; and Daniel Pineda submitted Tucker Lutz in a featherweight opener.

The next event is UFC 287, set for the Miami-Dade Arena on the morning of Sunday 9 April and headlined by a rematch for the middleweight championship between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya.

- Main event: Bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Vera via split decision (47-48 50-45 49-46), R5, 5:00

- Women’s bantamweight: Holly Holm def. Yana Santos via unanimous decision (30-26 30-27 30-27), R3, 5:00

- Featherweight: Nate Landwehr def. Austin Lingo via submission (rear-naked choke), R2, 4:11

- Women’s flyweight: Maycee Barber def. Andrea Lee via via split decision (28-29 29-28 30-27), R3, 5:00

- Middleweight: Albert Duraev def. Chidi Njokuani via split decision (28-29 29-28 29-28), R3, 5:00

- Featherweight: Daniel Pineda def. Tucker Lutz via submission (guillotine choke), R2, 2:50