Cory Sandhagen meets Rob Font in a 140-pound catchweight main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee.
The fights at Bridgestone Arena are on ESPN and ESPN+, with the 9 p.m. ET main card preceded by prelims at 6 p.m.
The matchup of top-10 bantamweights is being contested at a catchweight because Font stepped in less than two weeks ago as a late replacement for Sandhagen’s original opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov, who withdrew because of a shoulder injury.
Sandhagen (16-4) has won two fights in a row, most recently a split-decision victory over Marlon “Chito” Vera in March. Sandhagen is No. 5 in the ESPN men’s bantamweight rankings.
The ninth-ranked Font (20-6) broke out of a two-fight skid in his most recent bout, a first-round TKLO of Adrian Yanez in April.
How to watch the fights
Watch the fights on ESPN. Download the ESPN App | WatchESPN
Watch the fights on ESPN+: Get ESPN+ here.
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There’s also FightCenter, which offers live updates for every UFC card.
Saturday’s UFC fight card
ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET
Catchweight (140 pounds): Cory Sandhagen vs. Rob Font
Strawweight: Jessica Andrade vs. Tatiana Suarez
Light heavyweight: Dustin Jacoby vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Men’s featherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Gavin Tucker
Light heavyweight: Tanner Boser vs. Aleksa Camur
Lightweight: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Ludovit Klein
ESPN/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET
Men’s bantamweight: Kyler Phillips vs. Raoni Barcelos
Welterweight: Jeremiah Wells vs. Carlston Harris
Men’s featherweight: Billy Quarantillo vs. Damon Jackson
Men’s flyweight: Cody Durden vs. Jake Hadley
Men’s featherweight: Sean Woodson vs. Dennis Buzukja
Men’s flyweight: Ode’ Osbourne vs. Assu Almabayev
Ian Parker’s betting tip
Both on the feet and on the mat, Sandhagen can maintain a pace that is difficult for most opponents to keep up with. Font is a good boxer who puts out a lot of volume. And as we saw in his last fight, he has the knockout power to get it done. He has also tremendously improved his ground game. However, the biggest difference between these two is the advantage that Sandhagen will have if he can put Font on his back. Once he’s there, he will be able to take over the round or the fight.
For Kuhn’a suggested bets on the main event and other fights on Saturday’s card, check out the ESPN+ expert picks and best bets article (link below). It also features analysis by MMA coach and ESPN analyst Din Thomas as well as ESPN’s other betting expert, Reed Kuhn.
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UFC Fight Night expert picks and best bets: Can Rob Font beat Cory Sandhagen on short notice?