UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Results

Don't Miss A Moment Of UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen, Live From The AT&T Center In San Antonio, Texas On March 25, 2023

See The Fight Results As They Happen, Watch Post-Fight Interviews With The Winners And More From The AT&T Center In San Antonio, Texas

By E. Spencer Kyte, on Twitter @spencerkyte • Mar. 25, 2023

The UFC returned to “The Lone Star” state for the first time this year, touching down in San Antonio for an 11-fight event at AT&T Center headlined by an outstanding bantamweight main event between Marlon “Chito” Vera and Cory Sandhagen.

With a number of Texans competing throughout the card and exciting matchups from start to finish, the building was lively from the outset and only got more and more raucous as the night progressed, and Saturday’s competitors gave them plenty to cheer about from the outset.

Here’s a recap of what transpired inside the Octagon.

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Results

Victor Altamirano defeats Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
CJ Vergara defeats Daniel Lacerda by TKO (strikes) at 4:04 of Round 2
Trevin Giles (29-28, 29-28) defeats Preston Parsons by split decision (29-28)
Lucas Alexander defeats Steven Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Daniel Pineda defeats Tucker Lutz by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:50 of Round 2
Albert Duraev (29-28, 29-28) defeats Chidi Njokuani (29-28) by split decision
Maycee Barber (29-28, 30-27) defeats Andrea Lee (29-28) by split decision
Nate Landwehr defeats Austin Lingo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:11 of Round 2
Holly Holm defeats Yana Santos by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Cory Sandhagen (50-45, 49-46) defeats Marlon Vera (48-47) by split decision

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Prelim Fight Results

Victor Altamirano defeats Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Victor Altamirano and Vinicius Salvador got after it to kick off Saturday’s fight card, swinging from the outset and mixing in some grappling exchanges in an entertaining back-and-forth flyweight scrap.

Both men had moments in the opening two rounds where they landed good shots, batting pillar-to-post to head into the third round deadlocked.

Victor Altamirano Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

Early in the third, Altamirano found the mark with his strikes before leaning on his grappling to grind time off the clock. Late in the round, he opened a cut over Salvador’s eye before the two continued slinging through to the final horn.

The judges were called upon to decide it, and all three saw it the same way, with Altamirano earning his second consecutive UFC victory with 29-28 scores across the board. | Official Scorecards

CJ Vergara defeats Daniel Lacerda by TKO (strikes) at 4:04 of Round 2

The second bout of the evening was a tale of two fights.

CJ Vergara Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

In the opening frame, Daniel Lacerda took the fight to CJ Vergara and had the Texan on the ropes, doing his best to get the Dana White’s Contender Series alum out of there in the opening five minutes. But Vergara survived, and from that point forward, the hometown favorite was in complete control, taking the fight to his Brazilian counterpart and pounding out a finish in the final minute of the second stanza.

CJ Vergara Stops Daniel Lacerda In The Second Round | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

This was an absolutely bonkers back-and-forth from a pair of hungry, entertaining flyweights. With the victory, Vergara moves to 2-2 inside the Octagon and 11-4-1 overall, while Lacerda suffers a fourth consecutive stoppage loss in the UFC. | Official Scorecards

Trevin Giles (29-28, 29-28) defeats Preston Parsons by split decision (29-28)

Trevin Giles managed to grind out a second straight UFC win in a grimy, hard-nosed battle with Preston Parsons on Saturday’s prelims.

Giles found success with his jab early and often, but Parsons was undeterred in his approach, marching through those shots to land big punches of his own and work for takedowns. That scenario repeated itself throughout the contest, as Giles was able to land the more telling blows and instantly work his way back to his feet without taking much damage on the canvas.

Trevin Giles Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

The 30-year-old Giles has earned victories across three weight classes, and has now earned consecutive victories for the first time at welterweight, moving to 16-4 overall with the win. | Official Scorecards

Lucas Alexander defeats Steven Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Lucas Alexander showcased his full complement of skills in his first full-camp appearance in the UFC, battering Fortis MMA representative Steven Peterson to collect his first victory inside the Octagon.

Lucas Alexander Octagon Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

From the outset, Alexander was the quicker, sharper of the two, stinging Peterson with both punches and kicks to all levels, dropping “Ocho” late in the first round and causing him to fight southpaw in the second after repeated thudding low kicks. Peterson showed his trademark toughness by hanging in and continuing to press forward, but Alexander was simply the better man.

After losing his debut on short notice to fellow Brazilian Joanderson Brito, this was a much more representative effort of what to expect from the 27-year-old Alexander going forward. With the win, the Brazilian prospect advances to 8-3 overall, while Peterson drops a second straight and falls to 19-11 overall. | Official Scorecards

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen Main Card Fight Results

Daniel Pineda defeats Tucker Lutz by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:50 of Round 2

Texas veteran Daniel Pineda made the most of his first fight in nearly two years, returning to his home state and the win column in the first fight of Saturday’s main card.

The featherweights spent the majority of the opening stanza trading blows in space, with Pineda chopping at Lutz’ lead leg and the Maryland native doing better work with his hands.

Daniel Pineda Post Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

Pineda scored a knock down late in the first, and hurt Lutz with a huge knee in the clinch early in the second, kicking off a grappling entanglement. After missing on a couple earlier submission attempts, the veteran Pineda finally locked onto a guillotine choke, squeezing out a tap from Lutz.

Pineda now has 28 career wins and each and every one of them have come inside the distance, which is an incredible achievement. This was just the second time he’s fought in his home state in the UFC, and the first time he’s gotten his hand raised inside the Octagon in Texas. | Official Scorecards

Albert Duraev (29-28, 29-28) defeats Chidi Njokuani (29-28) by split decision

The middleweight bout between Chidi Njokuani and Albert Duraev was expected to be a clash of styles between a striker and a wrestler, and while it was that for one round, the remainder played out on the feet.

Duraev controlled the opening stanza and scored well after catching a kick and running Njokuani to the ground, but over the next 10 minutes, the 185-pound combatants stayed standing. Duraev landed the greater volume, but Njokuani appeared to land the bigger blows, sending the fight to the judges to sort out.

Albert Duraev (R) catches a kick of Chidi Njokuani in their middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen on Saturday, March 25, 2023 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

When the scores were totalled, Duraev came out on top, earning the split decision victory. The Russian gets back into the win column and moves to 2-1 in the UFC in the process, while Njokuani loses his second straight, falling to 2-2 inside the Octagon in the process. | Official Scorecards

Maycee Barber (29-28, 30-27) defeats Andrea Lee (29-28) by split decision

Flyweight talents Andrea Lee and Maycee Barber went toe-to-toe for 15 minutes, illustrating the depth and quality of the division that has been front and center all year.

Maycee Barber Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

In each of the first two rounds, Barber landed the heavier blows, while Lee held her own on the feet, scored takedowns, and worked from top position, giving the judges plenty to consider. Things were a little closer in third, with each having success in the striking realm and Barber doing well to keep Lee from doing damage when they did end up on the canvas.

Once again, the judges were called upon to determine a winner, and once again they were split, with Barber coming away on the happy side of the cards to extend her winning streak to four and continue working forward in the talent-rich flyweight division. | Official Scorecards

Nate Landwehr defeats Austin Lingo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:11 of Round 2

It took a little for Nate Landwehr to get rolling, but once he did, “The Train” ran right through Austin Lingo.

After a competitive first round where each man was happy to stand in the pocket and trade, Landwehr started to turn up the pressure in the second, building momentum as he recognized Lingo starting to wilt from some of his shots. A head kick appeared to daze the Fortis MMA man, leading Landwehr to continue unloading before dragging the fight to the ground and latching onto the fight-ending choke.

Nate Landwehr Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

An all-action fighter who is quickly building a reputation as a must-see talent every time he steps into the Octagon, Landwehr has now won three straight and earned victories in four of his last five. | Official Scorecards

Holly Holm defeats Yana Santos by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Holly Holm got herself back into the win column with a dominant effort against former training partner Yana Santos in the co-main event.

The pair ran level for the opening half of the first round before Holm started to find her range and land cleaner blows. In the second, the former champion capitalized on a Santos slip to trap her on the canvas, where she briefly worked from the mounted crucifix position and nearly found a finish. Less than a minute into the third, Holm returned the fight to the floor, continuing to dominate through to the final horn.

Holly Holm Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

This was a complete and impressive effort from Holm, who remains one of the top contenders in the 135-pound weight class. With the win, the 41-year-old moves to 15-6 overall in her MMA career, and has now won three of her last four. | Official Scorecards

Cory Sandhagen (50-45, 49-46) defeats Marlon Vera (48-47) by split decision

Cory Sandhagen re-affirmed his standing as one of the elite contenders in the bantamweight division, crafting a terrific game plan and following it to a tee to earn a split decision win over Marlon Vera in Saturday’s main event.

Cory Sandhagen Post-Fight Interview | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

The former interim title challenger came out of the gates quickly, dominating the the first two rounds by putting Vera on the canvas and roughing him up from top position. His constant stance-switching and ability to attack without resetting seemed to frustrate Vera, who started landing more in the late stages of the fourth, only for Sandhagen to get the fight back to canvas in the final round to neutralize his opponent’s most powerful weapons.

After dropping close, competitive fights to TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, Sandhagen has bounced back with consecutive victories over Song Yadong and now Vera, cementing his place in the title conversation in the ultra-competitive bantamweight division. | Official Scorecards

UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen took place live from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on March 25, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!

Up Next

Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone Named To UFC Hall Of Fame Class Of 2023

Former UFC Lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone Will Be Inducted Into The UFC Hall Of Fame's 'Modern Wing' As A Member
Essential Leech | The Best Of Li Jingliang

Ahead Of His Return At UFC 287, Get Primed With Some Of The Greatest Hits Of "The Leech".
The Scorecard | UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen

Check Out Beyond The Official Scorecards, Who Walked Away The Biggest Winners From UFC Fight Night: Vera vs Sandhagen