Cory Sandhagen is slightly favored against Raphael Assuncao at UFC 241 on Saturday, August 17 in Anaheim, California. This event is one of four fights on the ESPN portion of the preliminary card. Assuncao is 27-6 in his career, while Sandhagen is 11-1 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card at UFC 241, with the headliner a bout between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. There are also a total of seven fights on the preliminary card with four on ESPN and three on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Assuncao and Sandhagen and UFC predictions.
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Raphael Assuncao (27-6, 11-3 UFC)
Assuncao came into the UFC with a record of 16-3 and he has 11 wins and three losses in the UFC. In his last five fights, he has four wins and one loss. He defeated Aljamain Sterling by split decision, Marlon Moraes by split decision, Matthew Lopez by KO, and Rob Font by unanimous decision; while losing to Marlon Moraes by guillotine choke submission. Assuncao has been a pro since 2004 and he has four wins by TKO/KO and nine by submission. He has eight first round finishes.
Cory Sandhagen (11-1, 4-0 UFC)
Sandhagen came into the UFC with a record of 7-1 and he has four wins and no losses in the UFC. He defeated Austin Arnett by TKO, Iuri Alcântara by TKO, Mario Bautista by armbar submission, and John Lineker by split decision. Sandhagen’s only loss in his career was against Jamall Emmers by unanimous decision on February 24, 2017. Sandhagen has been a pro since 2015 and he has four wins by TKO/KO and three by submission. He has five first round finishes.
Sandhagen said this to mmajunkie.usatoday.com about his upcoming fight this Saturday, “I’ve been watching Assuncao for a long time. That dude’s been in the game for a really long time. I would say more than anything, I would attribute most of Assuncao’s success to him being very knowledgeable about the sport and him knowing how to play the game. I think he’s more or less a defensive minded fighter. He doesn’t take too many risks, kind of stays in his wheelhouse, but he’s very smart, and he knows how to play the game, and he knows how to score his points when he’s supposed to score his points.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Assuncao 3.34 / Sandhagen 8.49
Striking Accuracy: Assuncao 40% / Sandhagen 48%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Assuncao 2.24/ Sandhagen 4.68
Defense: Assuncao 70% / Sandhagen 61%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Assuncao 1.38/ Sandhagen 1.80
Takedown Accuracy: Assuncao 36% / Sandhagen 57%
Takedowns defended: Assuncao 79% / Sandhagen 20%
Submission average: Assuncao 0.3/ Sandhagen 0.9
UFC Predictions
Sandhagen is listed as the favorite in this fight which is a bit surprising to me. Assuncao is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC and perhaps the most talented one never to get a title shot. Assuncao has had his most trouble against fighters like Dillashaw and Moraes who are well rounded. I don’t know that Sandhagen fits that mold, as he is a great striker but weak on the ground. Perhaps Sandhagen is a future title contender, but I need to see more to be convinced and I am sure not sold he is good enough to be listed as the favorite in this fight. I will take the plus price and go with Assuncao on Saturday.
UFC 241 takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Saturday, August 17, with five fights on the main pay-per-view card headlined by Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic and seven preliminary bouts with four on ESPN and three on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Heavyweight - Daniel Cormier -145 vs. Stipe Miocic
Welterweight - Anthony Pettis -130 vs. Nate Diaz
Middleweight - Yoel Romero -170 vs. Paulo Costa
Featherweight - Sodiq Yusuff -285 vs. Gabriel Benítez
Middleweight - Ian Heinisch -168 vs. Derek Brunson
Preliminary Card (ESPN)
Lightweight - Devonte Smith -800 vs. Clay Collard
Bantamweight - Cory Sandhagen -165 vs. Raphael Assunção
Bantamweight - Manny Bermudez -125 vs. Casey Kenney
Lightweight - Drakkar Klose -200 vs. Christos Giagos
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Women's Strawweight - Hannah Cifers -270 vs. Jodie Esquibel
Bantamweight - Kyung Ho Kang -185 vs. Brandon Davis
Women's Flyweight - Shana Dobson -140 vs. Sabina Mazo
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