UFC on ESPN 43 live results: Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC on ESPN 43: Vera vs. Sandhagen, emanating from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The Octagon is back in San Antonio for the first time since July 2019, closing out the month of March with a card headlined by an exciting bantamweight match-up that fans have been looking forward to.

Third-ranked Marlon Vera looks to score his fifth straight win when he takes on fifth-ranked Cory Sandhagen, looking for his second straight win, in the five-round headline bout. Both men are looking to secure that next shot in the bantamweight division. Vera has yet to fight for a title, but is coming off a win over Dominick Cruz in his last outing. Sandhagen has fought for an interim title once before, but wants a shot at the undisputed title as he looks to build on a win over Song Yadong in September.

In the co-main event, former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion looks to get back on track towards another title shot when she battles Yana Santos. Also on the main card is an exciting featherweight bout between Nate Landwehr and Austin Lingo, a women’s flyweight fight pitting Andrea Lee against Maycee Barber, and a heated flyweight fight between contenders Alex Perez and Manel Kape.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.

ESPN PRELIMS | 4:30 PM ET/1:30 PM PT

> Flyweights- Victor Altamirano (11-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Vinicius Salvador (14-4, 0-0 UFC)

Altamirano throwing kicks early. Salvador lands a leg kick. Both landing while throwing wild strikes early. Altamirano lands a body kick. Altamirano scores a takedown and ends up in the guard of Salvador. Altamirano lands some punches from the top. Altamirano lands an elbow. Altamirano in control but they get to the fence and work their way to the feet. Salvador tries a cartwheel kick that misses by a ton. Altamirano lands a big kick and then Salvador goes to the fence and puts his back against it to show off. Altamirano tries a late takedown. 10-9 Altamirano.

Both land some wild punches. Altamirano lands a kick and looks for a takedown but abandons. Salvador looks to take the back but they separate. Salvador with a leg kick. Altamirano lands a spinning back fist. Altamirano almost got a takedown but Salvador bounced up and they clinch against the fence. Altamirano with a knee to the body. Salvador gets a nice takedown but they get right up and separate. Salvador lands some solid punches. They trade body kicks. Altamirano lands a head kick and tries a takedown but Salvador defends. Salvador lands a combo. They trade inside the pocket. They trade body kicks and Salvador lands a left hand. Salvador lands a big shot. 10-9 Salvador, 19-19.

Altamirano looks for a takedown right away and gets it down. He’s landing from the top as he mixes punches and elbows. Salvador is able to push him off and they stand, but Altamirano lands a knee. Salvador lands a body kick. Altamirano gets another takedown and lands some lefts from the top. Salvador grabbed the fence a couple of times and Altamirano is landing from the top. They get to their feet. They trade and Altamirano with some side kicks. Altamirano lands a spinning back fist and then a big right hand. Both landing late and Salvador lands a knee. Altamirano with a body kick and Salvador lands some good shots to the body. Altamirano with another spinning back fist. Salvador gets a late takedown. Very good fight. 10-9 Altamirano, 29-28 Altamirano.

Official Result- Victor Altamirano def. Vinicius Salvador by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Flyweights- CJ Vergara (10-4-1, 1-2 UFC) vs. Daniel Lacerda (11-4, 0-3 UFC)

Vergara with a couple of leg kicks. They trade in close range. Lacerda with a high kick. Lacerda tries for a flying knee but misses. He lands a left hand. Vergara with a couple of leg kicks. He lands a left hand. Lacerda with a few leg kicks. Lacerda wobbles Vergara with a spinning wheel kick and Vergara is running away. Lacerda lands and Vergara is still running away. Vergara lands a knee. Lacerda with some body kicks. He lands another spin kick and Vergara goes down but gets up. Lacerda landing and Vergara stumbles but gets up. Lacerda continues to land as Vergara is running away. Lacerda scores a takedown. He gets the back of Vergara and locks in a choke but lets go and Vergara escapes to his feet. Vergara lands a left hand. They trade big punches. Lacerda with a big combo against the fence landing to the head and body. What a round! 10-8 Lacerda.

Vergara with a leg kick. Lacerda lands then Vergara fires back with a combo. Vergara with a knee to the body then some left hands and a body kick. Vergara with a leg kick. Lacerda tries a takedown and is able to grab the leg and get it down. Lacerda is trying for a calf slicer but Vergara is landing some big punches and elbows from the top. Vergara escapes and is landing lots of big punches. Vergara gets an arm-triangle choke locked in. Lacerda trying to hang on and Vergara is landing knees to the body that allows Lacerda to get out. Vergara on top and is landing left hands. Vergara with some big elbows and left hands from the top. It is stopped by the referee after more shots. What a big comeback from Vergara!

Official Result- CJ Vergara def. Daniel Lacerda by TKO (strikes) at 4:04 of Round 2

> Welterweights- Trevin Giles (15-4, 6-4 UFC) vs. Preston Parsons (10-3, 1-1 UFC)

They clinch right away as Parsons was pushing forward. Parsons lands a knee and an elbow. They break. Parsons shoots for a wide takedown but Giles defends. Giles lands a big combo. Giles with a hard jab. Giles lands a right hand. They clinch against the fence and Parsons lands some elbows before they break. Giles lands the jab. They trade inside the pocket. Parsons shoots for the takedown but Giles defends. Parsons is attacking the leg but they’re back on the feet. Parsons lands a big combo that wobbles Giles. Parsons gets it down and is in the half-guard. Parsons now in side control. Parsons gets to the full mount and Giles gives up his back. Parsons almost had the choke but gets mount and now has the arm but Giles escapes. Giles is now on top and in the half-guard. They get to their feet and Giles with some right hands. 10-9 Parsons.

Giles landing to start the second and connects with a right hand. They clinch and both land elbows before breaking. They trade in close range. Parsons lands a right hand. Giles with a few jabs. Parsons gets a takedown. Parsons with some knees as they get to their feet. Giles lands to the body. Parsons is trying for desperate takedowns as he’s slowing down. Giles with the jab. Parsons tries a takedown but falls to his butt before being able to get it. They’re clinched and go to the mat with Giles able to get the back. Parsons gives up position and Giles is on top. Giles with some right hands from the top. 10-9 Giles, 19-19.

Parsons pressing forward and lands some punches to start the third. They clinch against the fence. They separate. Parsons lands some punches and they trade inside the pocket. They clinch for a moment and Parsons lands a heavy calf kick after they break. Parsons scores a takedown. They get to their feet and Parsons lands some knees. They separate. Giles lands a combo and a double jab. Parsons gets the takedown and is looking to lock in an arm-triangle choke from the full mount but lets go as the fence was in the way. Parsons lands from the top but Giles scrambles out from the bottom and is now on top. Giles landing punches from the top. He ends the fight on top. 10-9 Parsons, 29-28 Parsons.

Official Result- Trevin Giles def. Preston Parsons by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Featherweights- Steven Peterson (19-10, 3-4 UFC) vs. Lucas Alexander (7-3, 0-1 UFC)

They trade leg kicks and Alexander landing a solid amount of them. Alexander with some more leg kicks as both are trying to find their range. Alexander with a body kick. Alexander lands a nice combo and Peterson fires back with a right hand. Peterson lands a body kick. Alexander with a combo. He lands another. Alexander with a combo to the body. Peterson tried a spin and Alexander landed and Peterson fell to the mat at the end. 10-9 Alexander.

Both looking for openings to start the second. Alexander pressing forward and landing body kicks. Alexander landing hard leg kicks and Peterson’s leg is hurting. Peterson tries for a takedown but Alexander defends. Peterson lands a leg kick. Alexander with a combo. 10-9 Alexander, 20-18 Alexander.

They trade to start the third and Alexander lands a leg kick then some hard body kicks. Alexander with a combo and Peterson lands a right hand. We have a timeout for a groin strike. They get back to action and Alexander with a body kick. Peterson pushes it against the fence. They go to the mat and Alexander is on top and landing some punches. Alexander stands and lands some leg kicks and almost landed a kick to the head of a downed Peterson. Peterson gets to his feet. Alexander drops Peterson with a right hand. Alexander lands a big knee followed by a right hand. Peterson with a body kick. 10-9 Alexander, 30-27 Alexander.

Official Result- Lucas Alexander def. Steven Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

*Peterson took off his gloves and announced his retirement after the fight.

*Breaking- A flyweight fight between Alex Perez and Manel Kape, which was scheduled for the main card, has been cancelled due to a medical emergency for Perez.

ESPN MAIN CARD | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

> Featherweights- Daniel Pineda (27-14 3 NC, 4-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Tucker Lutz (12-2, 1-1 UFC)

They trade leg kicks and Pineda gets a brief takedown but they power to their feet and remain clinched. Pineda lands some knees against the fence. They separate. Pineda with a leg kick then connects with a right hand. Lutz with a combo. Pineda lands a couple of kicks. They both land punches inside the pocket and Lutz landed a nice combo. Pineda with a hard leg kick. Pineda drops Lutz with a right hand, but Lutz gets right back up and lands a right hand. Pineda with a body kick. Lutz lands a body kick and they trade hard punches. Pineda lands two hard right hands. 10-9 Pineda.

Both throwing to start the second as Pineda lands a right hand and a leg kick. They trade body kicks. Lutz shoots for a takedown as he pushes it against the fence and Pineda has the neck. Pineda lands a knee that makes Lutz put his knee down. Pineda looking for a guillotine choke. Lutz gets out but gives his back up in the process. Pineda is able to get back on top and locks in a guillotine choke and gets Lutz to tap. What a finish from Pineda, as he scores his 28th career win and 28th career stoppage.

Official Result- Daniel Pineda def. Tucker Lutz by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:50 of Round 2

> Middleweights- Chidi Njokuani (22-8 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) vs. Albert Duraev (15-4, 1-1 UFC)

They trade kicks to start then start feeling out each other. Njokuani with a body kick. He lands another body kick and Duraev catches it and scores the takedown and gets the back. Duraev landing a lot of punches from the back. Njokuani gets to his feet and Duraev still has the back. Duraev trying to get it back down. Duraev gets it back down and is in the guard of Njokuani. Duraev lands some shots from the top as he ends the first on top. 10-9 Duraev.

Duraev just misses a spinning back fist. Njokuani circling around and looking for an opening. Duraev lands a right hand. Duraev with a leg kick and Njokuani connects with a punch. Njokuani lands a combo. Njokuani lands a nice right hand that wobbles the legs of Duraev. Njokuani lands a combo. Duraev lands a right hand. Not much happens at the end. 10-9 Njokuani, 19-19.

Njokuani lands a big body kick. Duraev looks for a takedown against the fence but Njokuani is defending. They separate. Duraev lands a leg kick. Njokuani with a front kick up the middle. Njokuani with a hard body kick. They both land punches. Njokuani lands the jab. Duraev lands a right hand. They have a heavy exchange in the center. Duraev lands a right hand. Njokuani lands a left. Njokuani with a body kick. Duraev lands some leg kicks. Njokuani with a combo. Close fight. 10-9 Duraev, 29-28 Duraev.

Official Result- Albert Duraev def. Chidi Njokuani by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

> Women’s Flyweights- #11 Andrea Lee (13-6, 5-4 UFC) vs. #13 Maycee Barber (11-2, 6-2 UFC)

Lee throws a kick but Barber catches it and lands a few punches. They trade leg kicks. Barber lands a right as Lee lands a left. Lee scores a takedown. Lee is in side control. Lee with a couple of knees to the body. Barber traps an arm with her legs. Barber landing elbows to the side of the head. Lee gets her arm loose. Lee gets the back of Barber but they scramble up. Barber with a body kick. Barber lands a left hand. They exchange punches. Barber with a leg kick and Lee lands a right hand. Barber lands an elbow then a right hand at the end. 10-9 Barber.

They trade to start the second. They continue to look for openings and Barber gets a brief takedown but they pop right up. Barber with a left hand and a high kick. Lee with a leg kick. Barber lands a combo. Barber lands a combination and Lee gets a takedown. Both land on the ground. Lee gets to her feet and lands some body kicks to a downed Barber. Barber throws some upkicks but Lee ends up back on top and lands. 10-9 Lee, 19-19.

They trade to start the third. Barber lands a combo ending with a body kick. Lee scores a takedown and gets the back. Barber gets to her feet and they clinch against the fence. They separate and both land combos ending with kicks. Barber lands as she clinches in the center with Lee. They break. Barber gets a takedown. They get to their feet and Barber has the back. Lee dumps Barber to the mat but Barber throws an upkick to get to her feet. Lee trips it down to the mat after they clinch. Lee is in the half-guard and lands to the body as the fight ends. Close fight. 10-9 Lee, 29-28 Lee.

Official Result- Maycee Barber def. Andrea Lee by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

> Featherweights- Nate Landwehr (16-4, 3-2 UFC) vs. Austin Lingo (9-1, 2-1 UFC)

Lingo with a quick combo. Lingo lands against the fence. Lingo lands a right hand. Landwehr lands a hard right hand and a heavy leg kick. Lingo with a combination. Landwehr lands a combo as they clinch for a moment. Landwehr lands an uppercut then follows with a right hand. Landwehr has a cut near his right eye. Lingo with a right hand. Landwehr with a high kick and Lingo counters with a combo. Landwehr with a leg kick. Landwehr with a right hand and a high kick. Landwehr starting to land with more volume as we head to the end of the round. Lingo lands a solid combination late. Close round. 10-9 Landwehr.

Landwehr with a high kick. Lingo with a combo. Landwehr with a front kick to the body. Lingo connects with a nice right hand. Landwehr with a right hand then a leg kick. Landwehr is the one pressing forward. Landwehr lands a flurry ending with a head kick and then starts firing kicks. Landwehr with a knee to the body. Landwehr grabs the body and gets a takedown. Landwehr with some right hands as he has the back. He locks in a rear-naked choke and gets Lingo to tap. What a finish from Landwehr!

Official Result- Nate Landwehr def. Austin Lingo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:11 of Round 2

> Women’s Bantamweights- #3 Holly Holm (14-6, 7-6 UFC) vs. #6 Yana Santos (14-6 1 NC, 4-3 UFC)

They clinch against the fence with Santos in control. They switch positions a few times. They separate and Santos lands some leg kicks. They clinch back up and battle for position before separating. Holm lands a left hand. They clinch and Holm lands an elbow on the break. Holm with some front and side kicks to the body. Holm scores a takedown and ends the round on top. 10-9 Holm.

Holm landing to start the second before a brief clinch before they separate. Holm lands a side kick and Santos falls to the mat but gets up. Holm scores a takedown. Holm gets the mount and lands some punches before getting into the half-guard. Holm is in side control and looking to trap an arm. Holm gets the crucifix and lands some but Santos gets her arm out. Holm with some shoulder strikes. Holm gets the mount and is landing a good amount of punches. Holm with big elbows but Santos is able to get to the end of the round. 10-8 Holm, 20-17 Holm.

Holm lands a couple of left hands before they clinch. Holm gets a takedown. Holm dominating from the top and landing punches and working for chokes. Holm controlling but they get to their feet and separate. Holm gets a big takedown against the fence and is in side control as the fight ends. 10-9 Holm, 30-26 Holm.

Official Result- Holly Holm def. Yana Santos by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

> Bantamweights- #3 Marlon Vera (22-7-1, 14-6 UFC) vs. #5 Cory Sandhagen (15-4, 8-3 UFC)

Sandhagen with a leg kick. He lands some more. Vera landing the jab. Sandhagen lands a right hand. Sandhagen with another leg kick. Sandhagen with a combo against the fence. Sandhagen with a right hand and just misses a flying knee. Sandhagen looks for a takedown as he pushes it against the fence. Sandhagen finishes the takedown and lands from the top. Sandhagen with some elbows from the top. Sandhagen landing more from the top as Vera is throwing some punches from the bottom. Sandhagen with more shots from the top as the round ends. 10-9 Sandhagen.

Sandhagen with a left hand to the body as he’s pressing forward. Sandhagen with a big combination and he stuns Vera before scoring a takedown. Vera has the neck but Sandhagen remains calm and pops his head out. Sandhagen landing lots of shots from the top as he looks to get better position as he stands. He goes back on top looking to take the back, then looking for the mount. Sandhagen with elbows and punches from the top. Sandhagen looked for the arm but Vera was able to scramble to his feet. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Sandhagen lands an uppercut. Sandhagen with a body kick then a knee to the body. 10-9 Sandhagen, 20-18 Sandhagen.

They trade to start the third and Sandhagen lands a left to the body followed by a leg kick. Vera with a body kick. Sandhagen lands a front kick and slips but gets right up. Sandhagen with a body kick. Vera with a nice combination. They trade jabs and Sandhagen lands an uppercut. Vera with some leg kicks. They trade body kicks. They trade teet kicks to the legs. Sandhagen with a left hand then an uppercut. Vera with a solid combo. Sandhagen with a leg kick. Close round. 10-9 Sandhagen, 30-27 Sandhagen.

They trade and Sandhagen pushes it against the fence but they separate. Sandhagen shoots for the takedown but Vera defends. They’re circling around with both looking for openings. They’re starting to trade in close range. Vera with some punches in close. Both are landing but neither is doing anything to cement this round. Vera with a nice combination. Vera with a high body kick. 10-9 Sandhagen, 40-36 Sandhagen.

Vera lands a right hand. Sandhagen shoots for a takedown as he pushes it against the fence. Vera defends and they break and Sandhagen lands a knee to the body. Sandhagen with the takedown. Vera almost landed an illegal upkick. Vera is trying to scramble up but Sandhagen is keeping it down. Vera did land two illegal upkicks but they didn’t get called and it allowed them to get up. They’re both landing on the feet as Sandhagen is pressing forward. Vera grabs the back standing but lets go. They trade inside the pocket. Vera lands a right hand and is throwing a lot but Sandhagen lands a left hand. 10-9 Sandhagen, 50-45 Sandhagen.

Official Result- Cory Sandhagen def. Marlon Vera by split decision (47-48, 50-45, 49-46)