This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Nashville, we saw a battle in the bantamweight division between two top contenders. Rob Font (20-7) was stepping in on short notice to take on Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen (17-4).
Sandhagen was originally supposed to face Umar Nurmagomedov while Font was originally supposed to face Song Yadong at UFC 292. However, when both of their opponents fell out, the promotion pulled the two together to make this main event.
For Font, his path to victory was going to be keeping the fight standing and going after Sandhagen. However, he wasn’t able to get anything going on Saturday night. Sandhagen normally does a lot of striking, however, he was dealing with an elbow and tricep injury going into the fight.
Because of that, he felt limited and focused on using just his wrestling. Font was never able to stop takedowns throughout the five rounds. Whenever he’d get back to his feet, he was taken right back down. Ultimately, he lost a lopsided decision at UFC Nashville.
What’s next after UFC Nashville?
After UFC Nashville, I don’t think Rob Font loses any ground at 135 pounds. He stepped in on short notice and wasn’t prepared for a heavy wrestling attack from a guy like Sandhagen. I don’t think the promotion will punish him for losing this fight.
With that in mind, who will the promotion pair him with next? Honestly, depending on how long he’s out, I wouldn’t be shocked if the UFC decided to try and rebook the Font – Yadong fight. I think that was an excellent matchup and definitely would make for an exciting fight.
Dominick Cruz could be another option in looking at the rest of the division. I also wouldn’t mind Pedro Munhoz being the next opponent if Munhoz is able to get by Chito Vera at UFC 292. No matter what, Font’s opponent should be around the top ten.
More must-reads: