The Ultimate Fighting Championship travelled to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee tonight for UFC on ESPN 50: “Sandhagen vs Font.” The card was headlined by a 140-pound catchweight contest between Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen and short-notice replacement foe Rob Font.

In the strawweight co-main event, former UFC champion Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade battled undefeated standout Tatiana Suarez. Dustin “The Hanyak” Jacoby faced Kennedy “African Savage” Nzechukwu at 205. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC on ESPN 50 main card.

 

Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen vs Rob Font

Round 1:
Sandhagen took Font down almost immediately and Font held him in a guillotine choke. Sandhagen stayed calm and he threw back elbow strikes to Font’s face. Font used a rolling kimura to sweep and he got back to his feet. Both men landed jabs and Font scored with an uppercut. Sandhagen took him back down and landed short right hands from Font’s half-guard. Font kicked him off and stood up. He caught a kick from Sandhagen and dumped him to the mat. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Round 2:
The second round began with another quick takedown from Sandhagen. He worked from the top in Font’s half-guard, but Font defended well from the bottom and prevented Sandhagen from passing. Sandhagen landed short right hands, but his offence from the top was minimal. This continued all the way until the end of the uneventful round. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Round 3:
Font landed a left hook in round three and Sandhagen jumped in with a flying switch knee before taking Font down. He once again landed occasional strikes from Font’s half-guard while keeping him pinned down. In the final 90 seconds, Sandhagen landed a few elbows and postured up with right hands. Font used the opportunity to get back to his feet and he landed a solid right hand just before the bell sounded. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Round 4:
As in the previous rounds, the fourth stanza opened with Sandhagen securing a takedown. Font tried to work back to his feet against the cage, but Sandhagen held him down and threw short elbows from Font’s half-guard. Font eventually attempted a weak guillotine choke and Sandhagen easily escaped. Font finally stood up and Sandhagen immediately swept out his leg. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Round 5:
Font tried to take Sandhagen down in the final round and Sandhagen stuffed it against the cage. He reversed position and dumped Font to the ground. Sandhagen trapped Font in a tight Brabo choke and Font rolled to his left to try to scramble and alleviate pressure. Sandhagen eventually let go of the choke and he threw a few right hands from Font’s guard. With 30 seconds to go, Font threw up his legs and trapped Sandhagen in a loose triangle choke, but Sandhagen worked his way free before the bell. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Winner: Cory Sandhagen by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) after five rounds. He improves to 17-4-0.

 

Tatiana Suarez vs Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade

Round 1:
Suarez kicked at Andrade’s body and then tried to take her down after catching a kick. Andrade stayed on her feet and Suarez briefly lost her balance and fell. She stood up and Andrade moved forward with two punches and a leg kick. Suarez used an ankle pick to take Andrade down into side control. She held Andrade in a guillotine choke as Andrade got to her feet, then kneed Andrade in the upper body. Andrade freed her neck, but Suarez continued to punish her with knees. The fighters separated and Andrade landed a late combination. Body kicks were exchanged just before the bell. 10-9 Suarez.

Round 2:
Suarez took Andrade down in the second round and escaped from a brief guillotine choke. She worked from the top in side control and then pulled guard herself with a guillotine choke of her own. Andrade could not escape and tapped out.

Winner: Tatiana Suarez by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:31 of round two. She improves to 10-0-0.

 

Dustin “The Hanyak” Jacoby vs Kennedy “African Savage” Nzechukwu

Round 1:
Jacoby circled to his right and Nzechukwu landed a levt cross. Soon after, Nzechukwu closed the distance and Jacoby dropped him with a left-right combo. A dazed Nzechukwu covered up and Jacoby landed punches on the ground until the fight was stopped.

Winner: Dustin Jacoby by TKO (Punches) at 1:22 of round one. He improves to 19-7-1.

 

Diego Lopes vs Gavin “Guv’Nor” Tucker

Round 1:
Time was called almost immediately when Lopes was kicked hard in the groin. He recovered after a minute and action resumed. Lopes countered a takedown by jumping into a triangle choke as he hit the ground. He switched to a triangle straight armbar and then rolled it over into mount as Tucker tapped out during the transition.

Winner: Diego Lopes by Submission (Triangle Armbar) at 1:38 of round one. He improves to 22-6-0.

 

Tanner “The Bulldozer” Boser vs Aleksa Camur

Round 1:
Boser landed a stiff jab and Camur answered with a right hook before clinching. Boser reversed it and the fighters separated. Camur landed a knee to the body and a combination. Boser resumed jabbing and he landed a lead left hook. A quick flurry and a knee scored for Boser, but Camur charged forward with a jab and he clinched once more. Boser broke free and he landed a jab and a right uppercut. A quick one-two scored for Boser, but he ate a left hook from Camur in response. Boser landed a late jab-cross combo and a head kick. Back-and-forth round. 10-9 Boser.

Round 2:
After an uneventful clinch in the second round, Boser rocked Camur with a lead left hook and followed with another one. Camur recovered and landed a right hand, but Boser punched his way into a clinch and he held Camur against the cage. Boser landed an uppercut and a knee, but Camur countered with a knee of his own and escaped from the clinch. Boser pressed forward with a flurry of punches and he held Camur in place. Boser landed a left-right combo on the break and then a leg kick. Camur scored with a left hook, but Boser landed an elbow and a combination to the body. 10-9 Boser.

Round 3:
Punches were exchanged in the final round and Boser used his jab to set up a body kick. He landed a left hook and worked to take Camur down. Camur defended and Boser backed away. Camur tripped Boser with a leg kick and then landed a hard right uppercut after Boser stood up. Boser countered a right hand from Camur with a body kick. Camur landed another right hook and Boser attempted a head kick. Camur flurried to the body and Boser stunned him with a hard combination to Camur’s face. Close final round. 10-9 Boser by a slim margin due to damage.

Winner: Tanner Boser by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 21-10-1.

 

Ludovit “Mr. Highlight” Klein vs Ignacio “La Jaula” Bahamondes

Round 1:
Klein landed an early right hook and Bahamondes responded with a left hand. Left hooks were exchanged and Bahamondes grazed with a knee. Klein wobbled Bahamondes with two left hooks and Bahamondes pulled guard after failing to take Klein down. Klein landed an elbow from the top and then stood over Bahamondes. He dropped back down and avoided a triangle choke attempt and an armbar from Bahamondes. Klein landed another elbow and rapid-fire hammerfists. Bahamondes got back to his feet and Klein landed a left cross. 10-9 Klein.

Round 2:
Bahamondes countered a charging combination from Klein with an uppercut. He closed in with a knee and blocked a Klein head kick. Bahamondes scored with a knee and Klein took him down. Bahamondes stood and broke free from the clinch. Klein blocked a head kick and he grazed with one of his own. Klein landed a hard right-left combo to the body and then took Bahamondes down again. Much closer round. 10-9 Klein.

Round 3:
Klein finished a combination with a left cross and sprawled out of a Bahamondes takedown attempt. Back on the feet, Bahamondes missed with a spinning wheel kick and jumped forward with a Superman Punch. Klein countered by taking him down into half-guard and Bahamondes quickly got to full guard and transitioned to a triangle choke attempt. Klein escaped and Bahamondes landed an elbow from the bottom. Klein threw three elbows and a hammerfist. Bahamondes stood and finished the round by attacking with a kneebar. Another close round. 10-9 Klein.

Winner: Ludovit Klein by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 20-4-1.

 

Undercard Fights:

– Kyler “Matrix” Phillips defeated Raoni Barcelos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0 with the win.

– Carlston Lindsay “Mocambique” Harris defeated Jeremiah Wells by Technical Submission (Brabo Choke) at 1:50 of round three. He improves to 19-5-0 with the win.

– Billy Quarantillo defeated Damon “The Leech” Jackson by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 18-5-0 with the win.

– Cody Durden defeated Jake “White Kong” Hadley by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 16-4-1 with the win.

– Sean “The Sniper” Woodson defeated Dennis “The Great” Buzukja by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 10-1-1 with the win.

– Asu “Zulfikhar” Almabaev defeated Ode “The Jamaican Sensation” Osbourne by Submission (Face Crank) at 3:11 of round two. He improves to 18-2-0 with the win.