MMA DFS and Betting Breakdown: UFC Fight Night - Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo

by Liam Heslin (LiamPicksFights) Last Updated 2025-05-03 00:01:37 Premium Content Part of the product MMA Premium

Liam Heslin (aka LiamPicksFights) is a massive combat sports fan with over a decade of experience competing in wrestling and grappling martial arts. For each UFC event, he produces the MMA DFS and sports betting breakdown for RotoGrinders.

The state of Iowa hasn’t seen many UFC events, but the city of Des Moines will play host to a 12-fight slate featuring multiple former UFC champions, Ultimate Fighter winners, and tenured veterans. The card should be action packed, and the prelim headliner between Miesha Tate and Yana Santos could have potential title implications if “Cupcake” can reassert herself as a contender in the thin women’s bantamweight division. Let’s begin with the first fight of the night, a clash of styles in the women’s flyweight division.

Note: All DFS salaries listed are from DraftKings & all odds quoted are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

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MMA DFS and Betting Breakdown: UFC Fight Night – Sandhagen vs. Figueiredo

Ivana Petrovic ($8,800) vs. Juliana Miller ($7,400)

Fight Odds: -245 Petrovic vs. +186 Miller
Weight Class: W125lb. (Women’s Flyweight)

Ivana Petrovic (1-2 UFC) has not yet proven herself to be UFC level despite getting her first UFC win. The opponent she defeated was Na Liang (0-4 UFC), a woman who was finished in all four of her UFC losses. Petrovic should have a striking advantage in this matchup as well as a substantial edge in professional experience and recent activity. I am not sold on Petrovic as a long-term prospect because I don’t trust her wrestling, her grappling, her defense, or her decision making.

Juliana Miller (1-2 UFC) has been out of the octagon for more than two years, and the Ultimate Fighter Season 30 winner has been nursing injuries and going under the knife. Miller started her return to competition on the grappling mats where she is most comfortable, and now she is ready to step back into the octagon. Miller has some of the worst striking defense in the division, and it’s hard to imagine major shoulder injuries could have improved her form. Her upside as a fighter is her aggression, her grappling skill, and her toughness.

Petrovic is a better athlete and should be better positioned to succeed in this fight because she is more experienced and she has been more active. That being said, I don’t trust this woman’s game and I think she is fortunate she has never been submitted given some of the grappling looks she has put on film. This fight could play out like a classic striker vs. grappler archetype in which the winner is decided by whether or not the grappler is able to achieve 2 or more takedowns.

Prediction: Petrovic via TKO or Miller via SUB/SDEC

Thomas Petersen ($8,900) vs. Don’Tale Mayes ($7,300)