UFC coming to Wells Fargo Arena in May

It’s time, Des Moines. After years of waiting, it’s here: A UFC event.

The world-renowned Ultimate Fighting Championship will bring the octagon to the capitol city on Saturday, May 3, headlined by a pivotal bantamweight bout that will see No. 4 ranked contender Cory Sandhagen collide with No. 5Deiveson Figueiredo. The co-main event will see No. 13 ranked middleweight contender Reinier De Ridder square off with undefeated Bo Nickal.

Doors open at  5 p.m., with the first bout beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 21 at 10 a.m. at Hy-VeeTix.com

The entire card will be available on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, as well as simulcast on ESPN+ in English and Spanish, starting with the prelims at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT. The main card will then kick off at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

Sandhagen (17-5, fighting out of Aurora, Colo.) plans to kick off his 2025 campaign with another highlight-reel performance. A dynamic striker who has won three of his last four, he has delivered thrilling stoppages of Frankie Edgar, Marlon Moraes and Song Yadong. Sandhagen now intends to defend his spot in the rankings by taking out Figueiredo.

Former UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo (24-4-1, fighting out of Soure, Pará, Brazil) looks to stake his claim for a bantamweight title shot. A dangerous finisher, he has secured exciting submission victories over Cody Garbrandt, Alex Perez and Joseph Benavidez.

De Ridder (19-2, fighting out of Breda, Netherlands) looks to continue his hot streak and cement his status as a title threat. A former champion outside the UFC, he has earned wins against Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert since joining the world’s premier MMA promotion last year.

The surging Nickal (7-0, fighting out of State College, Penn.) who is a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion, has earned notable victories over Paul Craig, Cody Brundage and Jamie Pickett. Nickal now has his sights set on earning the biggest win of his career to crack the middleweight Top 15.