"The coach separated them" - Chael Sonnen recalls the 'one-sided' sparring session between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen
If Chael Sonnen's story is true, then T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen should be a cakewalk for one of the two competitors. Ahead of UFC Vegas 32, Sonnen told a story about a lop-sided sparring session between the former teammates-turned-opponents.
In an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen recalled a sparring session between T.J. Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen. The former UFC middleweight title challenger revealed it was so one-sided that coach Duane Ludwig had to step in to break up the session.
"Sandhagen and Dillashaw were training partners," Sonnen said. "They were in Colorado, they were in the room together. Coach [Trevor] Wittman was running the workout and they were in the room together and they sparred. Now, I know how that went. Can't say, [though]. I will tell you this: it was so one-sided that the coach separated them."
As intriguing as Chael Sonnen's story is, there's no way of verifying if it's true. The retired fighter refused to reveal who his source was for the story but insisted that it absolutely happened.
Watch Sonnen's video about the UFC Vegas 32 main event below:
Chael Sonnen weighs in on T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen
Chael Sonnen also analyzed how he thinks the main event of UFC Vegas 32 will go down. 'The American Gangster' believes that T.J. Dillashaw's superior wrestling will ultimately be the deciding factor.
"As great as Sandhagen is on his feet, Dillashaw is awesome on his feet and has the added element of the wrestling. The only time we saw Sandhagen look [like] a fool was against current champion Aljamain Sterling, when Sterling took him down, took his back, choked him out, and went home in 40 seconds."
But Chael Sonnen isn't dismissing 'Sandman's' chances at all. The former UFC star believes Cory Sandhagen's mastery of using range to his advantage could make up for his lack of proficiency in the grappling department.
The winner of the main event clash between Cory Sandhagen and T.J. Dillashaw is expected to earn a bantamweight title shot in the future. Sandhagen is fresh off back-to-back knockout wins over Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar, while Dillashaw will fight for the first time since serving a two-year anti-doping suspension.