The UFC made its return to Texas on Saturday with UFC on ESPN 43, which took place at AT&T Center in San Antonio and, after a number of fight week fallouts, saw a 10-bout card unfold.
The most high-profile result came from the main event, where Cory Sandhagen (16-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) proved his worth as a bantamweight contender with a split decision victory over the streaking Marlon Vera (20-8-1 MMA, 14-7 UFC) after five rounds.
For more on the numbers behind Sandhagen’s win, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC on ESPN 43.
* * * *
Event stats
The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $137,000.
Debuting fighters went 0-1 at the event.
Nate Landwehr, Daniel Pineda, CJ Vergara and Daniel Lacerda earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN 43 fight-night bonuses.
UFC on ESPN 43 drew an announced attendance of 16,076 for a live gate of $2,150,000.
Betting favorites went 5-5 on the card.
Betting favorites improved to 5-5 in UFC headliners this year.
Total fight time for the 10-bout card was 2:21:05.
Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Vera
Sandhagen improved to 3-1 in UFC headliners.
Vera has suffered all eight of his career losses by decision.
Holly Holm def. Yana Santos
Holly Holm’s (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) seven victories in UFC women’s bantamweight competition are tied for third-most in divisional history behind Amanda Nunes (12) and Raquel Pennington (11).
Holm has earned six of her eight UFC victories by decision.
Yana Santos (14-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) fell to 4-3 since she returned to the UFC women’s bantamweight division in October 2018.
Santos suffered her first decision loss since May 29, 2010 – a span of 4,683 days and 19 fights.
Nate Landwehr def. Austin Lingo
Landwehr (17-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) improved to 15-3 in his past 18 fights dating back to October 2013.
Austin Lingo (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered the first stoppage loss of his career with a submission defeat.
Maycee Barber def. Andrea Lee
Maycee Barber’s (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at women’s flyweight is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Alexa Grasso (five), Manon Fiorot (five) and Erin Blanchfield (five).
Barber improved to 6-2 since she moved up to the UFC women’s flyweight division in March 2019.
Andrea Lee (13-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) has suffered all five of her UFC losses by decision.
Albert Duraev def. Chidi Njokuani
Albert Duraev (16-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has earned both of his UFC victories by decision.
Daniel Pineda def. Tucker Lutz
Pineda (28-14 MMA, 5-5 UFC) improved to 2-1 with one no contest since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in August 2020.
Pineda has earned all 28 of his career victories by stoppage.
Pineda’s four submission victories in UFC featherweight competition are tied for second-most in divisional history behind Charles Oliveira (six), who hasn’t competed at 145 pounds since August 2016.
Tucker Lutz (12-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered consecutive losses for the first time in his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since May 2021.
Lutz suffered the first submission loss of his career.
Lucas Alexander def. Steven Peterson
Lucas Alexander (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned five of his eight career victories by decision.
Steven Peterson (19-11 MMA, 3-5 UFC) retired from MMA competition after his loss.
Peterson has suffered 10 of his 11 career losses by decision.
Peterson has suffered all five of his UFC losses by decision.
Trevin Giles def. Preston Parsons
Trevin Giles (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) improved to 2-1 since he dropped to the welterweight division in January 2022.
Preston Parsons (10-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career.
CJ Vergara def. Daniel Lacerda
Vergara (11-4-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) has earned all seven of his career stoppage victories by knockout.
Lacerda’s (11-5 MMA, 0-4 UFC) four-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since July 2021.
Lacerda has suffered all five of his career losses by stoppage.
Lacerda has suffered four of his five career losses by knockout.
Victor Altamirano def. Vinicius Salvador
Vinicius Salvador (14-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) suffered his first decision loss since June 29, 2018 – a span of 1,730 days and eight fights.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.
UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.
