Fans tuning in to the May 1, 2025 episode of Ringside Report MMA were treated to a jam-packed show as hosts Dave Simon, Fred Garcia, and AJ D’Alesio tackled everything from the upcoming UFC Des Moines card to the hype—and hesitation—surrounding UFC 315 in Montreal. With honest takes, fan feedback, and live chat fire, this episode gave fans plenty to chew on just ahead of fight weekend.
Watch the Replay or Catch the Podcast
You can catch the full breakdown from Dave, Fred, and AJ by watching the YouTube replay, Rumble, Twitch, or Kick. Prefer to listen? Stream it on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
UFC Des Moines: Previewing the Action in the Hawkeye State
The UFC is heading to Des Moines this Saturday, May 3rd, for UFC on ESPN 67 at Wells Fargo Arena. An interesting trend noted by Dave is TKO, the parent company of both UFC and WWE, scheduling events in the same city back-to-back, as SmackDown was just there the night before. Fred and AJ speculated this could be a cost-saving measure for TKO on production elements like lighting and setup, as well as travel.
However, Dave pointed out the significant financial burden this places on fans hoping to attend both types of events. Comparing ticket prices, Dave highlighted that WWE tickets, even around $350-$360 for SmackDown seats he obtained in Montreal, are “way more affordable than UFC”. He noted that comparable seats for the Montreal UFC event were approximately $1200, with even nosebleed seats for UFC being considerably more expensive than WWE. Fred also mentioned reading about the high cost of SummerSlam tickets.
The main event in Des Moines features a bantamweight clash between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. Sandhagen, 33, is looking to rebound from a loss to Umar Nurmagomedov, while the 37-year-old Figueiredo also seeks to bounce back from a decision loss to Peter Yan. Both fighters had won three straight before their recent losses.
Dave believes the age difference favors Sandhagen and predicts a decision win for him. AJ sees Sandhagen as the strong favorite due to his more technical striking and reach advantage, expecting him to “snipe Figgy from the outside, picks him apart, wins on points.” Fred agrees that Sandhagen is a top-five fighter in the division, unlike Figueiredo, making Sandhagen the likely winner, although he added that with Figueiredo moving up in weight and Sandhagen having had layoff time, the fight “could get weird” or even disappoint.
In the co-main event, undefeated middleweight Bo Nickal takes on Reinier De Ritter, who has won three in a row, including a submission victory over Kevin Holland. Dave was not overly impressed with Nickal’s last fight, a decision win over Paul Craig, observing that Nickal avoided Craig’s ground game to stand and strike. Fred feels Nickal possesses elite wrestling but also has flaws.
Dave thinks Nickal’s wrestling is so dominant he can keep the fight standing if he chooses, given De Ritter’s reliance on his ground game, and predicts Nickal will work on his striking and win by decision again. AJ believes if Nickal utilizes his wrestling, he will dominate, predicting a ground fight, but feels Nickal still holds the advantage even on the feet. Dave stated, “Bo needs this win,” and called De Ritter “a big test,” noting that while Bo’s been hyped, De Ritter is “no joke” and this could be the card’s “sleeper fight.”
Other notable fights discussed include Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Daniel Rodriguez, with Fred favoring Ponzinibbio. On the prelims, Miesha Tate is fighting Yana Santos, and Fred is picking Santos. Juliana Miller, a former Ultimate Fighter winner, is also on the prelims against Ivana Petrovic, with Dave picking Miller to win. Montel Jackson vs. Daniel Marcos was highlighted as a potential “bantamweight barnburner,” and Jeremy Stephens vs. Mason Jones was called an “old-school banger potential.” AJ expressed hope that the fighters “show up and bang,” suggesting that while it’s not a PPV, it “could be Fight Night of the year.”
An interesting addition to the card is the return of 38-year-old Jeremy Stephens, who hasn’t competed in MMA since 2022 and was released by the UFC after a series of losses. Dave speculated that the UFC brought him back because he is from Des Moines and his inclusion might boost ticket sales. He viewed it as a smart but unusual move for the UFC, suggesting they recognize the need for more recognizable names. AJ agreed, stating it’s good to see legendary fighters like Stephens return.
UFC 315: High Prices, Slow Sales, and a Weak Card
After UFC Des Moines they are headed to Montreal for the UFC 315 which is facing issues with ticket sales, and the hosts discussed why. Dave showed a seating chart of the Bell Centre, highlighting the large number of unsold tickets. He noted that even with special offers, the prices are still very high, giving an example of a ticket discounted from $1200 to $800, which he still wouldn’t buy. AJ mentioned hearing commentary that this is one of the worst cards the UFC has put on for a pay-per-view. Fred didn’t expect it to be a sellout.
Dave compared the ticket sales to a recent WWE SmackDown event in Montreal, which had many sections sold out by staggering ticket releases. He explained that WWE opens up sections as tickets sell, while the UFC seems to release everything at once. Dave predicts that for UFC 315, they will have to move people who bought cheaper tickets in the upper levels to lower sections and cover up the empty seats with tarps to make it look better on camera. This is something he saw them do for UFC 186 in Montreal years ago.
Low Ticket Sales
Dave added, “I don’t think they’ve sold much. Wait till prelims, you might get in for five bucks.”
Fred agreed, “I saw deals flying out—$800 marked down from $1200. Still not worth it. UFC needs to rethink their pricing.”
The card itself was heavily criticized. Dave compared it to UFC 97 in Montreal, which featured stars like Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua, and Chuck Liddell. UFC 315, in comparison, has Jack Della, Jose Aldo, and Belal Muhammad. Fred pointed out that even lower-profile fighters on the UFC 97 card were bigger names than some on the upcoming card. AJ felt that the prelims for UFC 186 were better than the main card for UFC 315. Dave called the UFC 315 pay-per-view “absolute trash” and “one of the worst”. He specifically called out Belal Muhammad, saying “No one cares about Belal Muhammad”. He even predicted that Jack Della will beat Muhammad.
The high prices and perceived weak card seem to be the main reasons for the slow ticket sales in Montreal. AJ noted that sculptors (ticket resellers) likely bought many tickets expecting a sellout but are now stuck with them. He believes most people in Montreal will opt to watch the fights at packed sports bars instead, where they can spend much less for a night out.
Other MMA News and Notes
The hosts also touched on a few other topics:
- Ian Machado Garry’s last fight: Dave was not a fan of Ian Machado Garry’s recent fight, calling it a “bad display of MMA” where Garry “played the MMA game” by staying at range and not doing much for the first three rounds. He felt Garry ran out of gas in the later rounds and nearly got finished, saying the fight should have been judged differently. AJ, however, thought Garry fought smart. Fred enjoys Garry’s personality and thinks he’s becoming a character. It was also mentioned that Ian Machado Garry is the backup fighter for the Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della fight at UFC 315.
- Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3: It was announced that Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier will fight for a third time at UFC 318 on July 19th. This is expected to be Poirier’s retirement fight, and the BMF title might be on the line.
- Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley: Former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will return to face Joaquin Buckley on June 14th, headlining UFC Atlanta. This will be Usman’s first fight since losing to Hamza Chamaev in 2023. Fred is rooting for Buckley, hoping to see a “Buck versus Cuck” fight between Buckley and Ian Machado Garry. Dave is pulling for Usman, wanting to see the former champion remain relevant.
