UFC Des Moines Parlay Picks for May 03: Bet on Cory Sandhagen and Gillian Robertson

Manyun

· May 02 - 6 minutes read

Bet on Cory Sandhagen to win by KO or decision (-310)
Bet on Gillian Robertson to win by submission or decision (-250)
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Parlay Picks

Odds

Sandhagen by KO or Decision

(-310)

Robertson by Submission or Decision

(-250)

Bet These Parlay Picks at BetUS Sportsbook!

UFC Des Moines Parlay Picks for May 03: Bet on Cory Sandhagen and Gillian Robertson — Cory Sandhagen Readies for the Fight Against Rob Font | Christopher Hanewinckel-imagn Images

The UFC is back in the Hawkeye State following a 25-year absence, and after meticulously studying this upcoming UFC Des Moines fight card, I’m ready to deliver to you this week’s edition of ‘The Punching Parlay,’ where high-confidence best bets come together and formulate greater UFC fight night odds for betting success!

Let’s get into it!

#UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/ZxhC8mNoJz

— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) April 28, 2025

UFC Fight Night Parlay Picks, May 03

1. Sandhagen vs Figueiredo: Sandhagen by KO or Decision (-310)

Small kings conquer the flyweight division, and I give much respect to my 5’5” homies. However, the difference between flyweight and bantamweight can involve 5-7 inch height differences, and while your girlfriend might tell you ‘size doesn’t matter,’ when involving elite mixed martial artists that hold significant reach/height/frame advantages, size can be everything.

Look, Deiveson Figueiredo is a former two-time flyweight champion. He’s arguably one of the most underrated champions of the past decade. However, at 37, it’s highly unlikely that a move to 135 pounds will bring him anywhere close to UFC gold again.

Figgy’s debut at 135 lbs went swimmingly; he overcame Rob Font and proved he could hang in the top-15 rankings. He repeated this again in his next two fights versus Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera. Still, of these three top-ranked opponents, none were quite on the level of Petr Yan, his first bantamweight defeat, or Cory Sandhagen, his weekend opponent.

Bet This Pick: Sandhagen by KO or Decision (-310)

One of the craziest KOs we have ever seen 🤯

There’s always a chance of a highlight reel KO when @CorySandhagenX is in the Octagon! #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/75eyIJdgKR

— UFC (@ufc) April 30, 2025

There Is No Green Zone Striking for Figgy

Figueiredo’s clear path to victory would be through the utilization of his jiu-jitsu skills. However, he doesn’t quite have the offensive wrestling to achieve this for five rounds, especially versus an opponent with Sandhagen’s stature and credible defense, who will more likely than not be able to keep this fight standing.

Once again, we have to bet on UFC with juice (It’s quite a theme for UFC Des Moines), but we’ll deal with what we have in front of us.

I believe we will see ‘The Sandman’ run through Figgy at the kickboxing range. The Brazilian loves his green zone striking and knockout power, but this won’t be available to him, as the elusive footwork and dynamic striking of Sandhagen will be too easy with a 6-inch height and 2-inch reach difference.

Whether it’s a striking masterclass for five rounds and a decision win or if the difference in kickboxing attributes leads to a stoppage win, Sandhagen will have his hand raised. With an incredibly low probability of him even attempting a submission, we’ll back the knockout or decision prop to boost our UFC parlay picks price range!

Sandhagen by KO/Dec Supporting Trends

Here are some MMA betting trends to consider for this fight:

Sandhagen has gone the distance in 7 UFC bouts
9 of Sandhagen’s 10 UFC wins were by KO/TKO or decision
Figueiredo has gone the distance in 3 of his 4 bantamweight bouts
Figueiredo lost by decision in his most recent fight

Sandhagen realizing the uppercut was the shot vs Chito and just freezing him up then blasting him with it throughout the fight #UFCDesMoines pic.twitter.com/wLSF7sbuBH

— Underrated Tribal Chief (@MMAUnderrated) April 30, 2025

2. Gillian Robertson vs Marina Rodriguez: Wrestling Class

If I had a penny for every time I’ve bet Marina Rodriguez and her fight IQ and lack of takedown defense has let me down… Well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be betting on a fight involving her again this weekend.

But here we are, and guess what? Rodriguez has been willing to engage in grappling despite having a clear advantage over most of her opponents. This involves sticking and moving with her excellent offensive striking game.

So, now she’s facing a gritty wrestler in Robertson, who’s riding a 3-fight win streak last January, has won 5 of her previous 6 UFC bouts, actively competes in grappling competitions, and is almost ten years younger…

Bet This Pick: Robertson by Submission or Decision (-250)

This submission is her BREAD & BUTTER! 🍞🧈

Watch Gillian Robertson sink in the RNC on the former UFC Champion ahead of #UFCDesMoines! pic.twitter.com/fMx76n4zlw

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) May 1, 2025

Removing the Danger

Everyone knows the game plan for Robertson, including Rodriguez, but despite this, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the latter be happy to sit in positions where she’s getting outworked. When it comes to takedowns, the Brazilian just can’t help herself but allow them to happen, and as a lifelong muay thai striker, she continues finding herself dropping fights due to a lack of grappling/wrestling know-how.

I’m not surprised the UFC betting odds are slightly juiced in favor of Robertson. Aside from the clear grappling threat, Rodriguez is notably 38 years old, has lost four of her previous five fights, and has only defeated one legitimate wrestling threat during her UFC tenure.

All roads lead to a Robertson win by submission or decision for our UFC predictions, although Rodriguez is tough, so I favor the latter of those two outcomes.