Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen UFC on ESPN 43 Odds, Time, and Prediction

The bantamweight fight between Marlon “Chito” Vera and Cory “The Sandman” Sandhagen was originally supposed to take place at UFC Apex in Vegas, where only a few hundred spectators could enjoy it from close by.

After a huge backlash on social media, the UFC decided to reschedule the fight and move it to Texas. San Antonio’s AT&T Center – an arena with 18,000+ seats – will host UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Sandhagen a.k.a. UFC on ESPN 43.

*Odds taken from FanDuel on Monday, March 20, 2023.

When, Where, and How to Watch?

• Place: AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas
• Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023
• Time: ~10:00 PM ET
• How to Watch: ESPN

Marlon Vera Looking for Another Finish

Marlon Vera (20-7-1) is the man with the most finishes in the history of the UFC Bantamweight division with 10. Overall, he’s got 16 wins by finish, eight by KO/TKO, and eight by submission. Speaking of finishes, he’s never lost a fight before the final bell – all seven of his defeats happened by decision.

With such a resume, Vera definitely needs to be thought of as one of the finest UFC fighters of the last decade. What’s really surprising knowing all this is that he was never given a shot at the title. That could change in the future, especially if he beats Sandhagen on Saturday.

The thing is that Vera is sitting in the No. 3 position in the divisional rankings, with Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili ranked higher. If Dvalishvili beats O’Malley later in the year, he’ll be the one to get the shot at the title (currently held by Aljo Sterling). However, Dvalishvili has said several times he has no intention of fighting his friend Sterling. If he refuses to fight, the winner of the Vera vs. Sandhagen could be asked to step in.

Cory Sandhagen Wanna Keep on Impressing

Cory Sandhagen is 15-4 overall, but none of his losses saw him get embarrassed. The first one happened in 2017 when Jamall Emmers beat him by a decision at LFA 5. His first loss in the UFC happened to Aljamain Sterling who later on went on to win the Bantamweight title. The defeat in question remains Sandhagen’s only loss inside the distance – Aljo beat him by submission in 2020.

A year later, he suffered the third loss of his career. It happened by a controversial split decision against T.J. Dillashaw. A few months later, he suffered his fourth and (so far) his last loss. Sandhagen was given only five days’ notice for the title fight with Petr Yan (after Aljo pulled out). It was a five-round fight and The Sandman managed to stay on his feet until the final bell, but then the judges scored in his opponent’s favor.

When it comes to Sandhagen’s wins, he’s got some impressive ones – John Lineker, Marlon Moraes, Song Yadong, and so on.

Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen Prediction

Marlon Vera is the underdog, but we think the bookies might be wrong. This guy has never been stopped inside the distance and we don’t think Cory Sandhagen can change that. Nor will he try to do so. Instead, he’ll probably go for a win by decision. Whether it will work or not, we’re not sure. In fact, we think Vera could upset the odds on Saturday.

Pick: Marlon Vera to win by decision