//

UFC Vegas 32: Head-to-head look at Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw

T.J. Dillashaw faces Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32
T.J. Dillashaw faces Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Can T.J. Dillashaw recapture his top spot at bantamweight?

On Saturday, Cory Sandhagen looks to continue his charge up the official UFC bantamweight rankings when he meets former 135-pound champion T.J. Dillashaw in the main event of UFC Vegas 32.

Dillashaw has been out of action since he tested positive for EPO in 2019. His doping was discovered in the aftermath of his 32-second knockout loss to then-UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw surrendered the bantamweight crown after the positive drug test. He served a two-year suspension for doping. Today, Dillashaw is not ranked inside the UFC bantamweight top 15.

Sandhagen fought on the card when Cejudo knocked out Dillashaw. He defeated Mario Bautista on the prelims. The submission win was Sandhagen’s third UFC fight and third UFC stoppage win. Today, Sandhagen is 7-1 in the UFC and coming off a February flying knee knockout win over former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Sandhagen is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the current official UFC bantamweight rankings.

Despite Dillashaw’s prolonged absence from the division, he still holds the all-time UFC bantamweight records for wins (12), finishes (8), knockouts (7), title fight wins (5), fight night bonuses (8), knockdowns (9), significant strikes landed (1,004) and total strikes landed (1,340).

On Saturday we will find out if the time away helped or hurt the 35-year-old Dillashaw or if the 29-year-old Sandhagen is the new breed of bantamweight competitor.

Below is a look at how Sandhagen and Dillashaw compare in key stats ahead of their UFC Vegas 32 main event matchup.

No comments