UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw predictions
The UFC is once again back at its APEX center this weekend for UFC Vegas 32: Cory Sandhagen vs. TJ Dillashaw.
UFC Vegas 32’s main event of Cory Sandhagen vs. TJ Dillashaw is a long time in the making. It is one of the promotion’s best upcoming fights, and the undercard isn’t bad either.
So with thirteen fights on tap all told, this one should hopefully be another exciting event from the UFC in 2021.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Vegas 32: Cory Sandhagen vs. TJ Dillashaw.
#4. UFC bantamweight division: Cory Sandhagen vs. TJ Dillashaw
Initially set for April, only to be postponed when Dillashaw suffered a serious cut in training, this fight sounds genuinely fantastic on paper. It pits two of the world’s best bantamweights against one another.
With any hope - if the UFC can finally book a rematch between current UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan - the winner here should be primed for the next title shot.
Dillashaw is, of course, a former UFC bantamweight champion in his own right. In fact, he’s probably got a fair claim to being the greatest 135lber in UFC history thanks to his wins over Renan Barao and Cody Garbrandt amongst others.
Once considered a wrestler by trade, Dillashaw’s training with famed coach Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig allowed him to develop an incredible combination-based striking game. At this stage, he’s basically got no weaknesses.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the reason why he hasn’t fought since January 2019.
Following a risky drop to 125lbs and a failed quest to win the UFC flyweight title, a positive test for the banned substance EPO – made famous by cyclist Lance Armstrong – saw him suspended by USADA for two years.
Whether Dillashaw’s initial run to the top of the bantamweight division was fuelled by PEDs is now a fair question. However, it might be a question that’s tricky to answer right away. After all, how good is he likely to look after two years on the shelf?
The UFC have certainly not handed him a softball, either. Sandhagen has lost just once in eight visits to the octagon – a one-sided submission loss to Sterling last summer. Sandhagen is coming off two of the most memorable UFC knockouts in a long time over Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar.
In many aspects, these two fighters are quite similar. They both have excellent wrestling and are capable grapplers, although Dillashaw probably has a slight advantage in that area. On the feet, both men possess heavy power and have excellent fundamentals.
If Dillashaw comes back in the same form prior to his loss to Henry Cejudo, if this fight remains on the feet, it could be anyone’s. Fans might question Dillashaw’s chin after that loss to Cejudo but, to be fair, that knockout could’ve been caused by his horrific weight cut to 125lbs.
So if it remains standing, it’ll probably come down to whether Sandhagen can land the big shot. If not, it'll be whether or not he can keep up with Dillashaw’s slick combination style. The red flag for ‘The Sandman’, however, is that loss to Sterling.
Sandhagen had shown solid grappling prior to that, but Sterling made him look like an amateur with a move – snaking onto the back with a body triangle – that Dillashaw has used in the octagon several times.
So with that in mind, the best path to victory for the former champion might be to take this fight to the ground. That gives him an advantage, and so the pick to win this one is Dillashaw via submission.
The Pick: Dillashaw via first round submission