Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has had several huge moments throughout his career, but Saturday’s Fight Night main event against Cory Sandhagen might be the biggest fight of his career — at least in terms of perception.
Dillashaw (16-4) returns to competition for the first time in two and a half years after serving a two-year suspension for taking erythropoietin (EPO).
Dillashaw, 35, says he has moved past his mistake and is looking toward the future.
The rest of the sport, predictably, is not ready to do the same. Fair or not, a large part of Dillashaw’s legacy will be determined by how he looks in this comeback. If he resembles the fighter he once was, it will be easier for history to write off the 2019 failed test as an anomaly. If he looks significantly different, history won’t be as kind in judging his previous accomplishments.
“Is there pressure to prove myself after what happened? I mean, that’s a question for other people,” Dillashaw said. “I know the truth and I don’t really care. I’m not gonna add that pressure to myself.”
Prospects such as Miranda Maverick, Maycee Barber and Brendan Allen highlight the undercard.
Follow the action with Marc Raimondi and Mike Coppinger or watch the fights on ESPN+.
Fight in progress:
Women’s flyweight: Miranda Maverick (11-2, 2-0 UFC, -150) vs. Maycee Barber (8-2, 3-2 UFC, +125)
Results:
Men’s bantamweight: Adrian Yanez (14-3, 3-0 UFC) defeats Randy Costa (6-2, 2-2 UFC) by second-round TKO
Omg @yanezmma way to stay strong and come back. Sick fight
— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) July 24, 2021
Recap to come.
Middleweight: Brendan Allen (17-4, 5-1 UFC) defeats Punahele Soriano (8-1, 2-1 UFC) by unanimous decision
Allen handed Soriano his first career defeat in a battle of Dana White’s Contender Series alums — a unanimous-decision victory via scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27. The middleweight fight was the lone matchup with pick ’em odds on the card, and it was punctuated throughout by Allen’s brutal body kicks.
The 25-year-old Allen targeted Soriano’s left rib cage, landing 18 of 22 body strikes in Round 2. Soriano charged hard in the opening round but was stymied by the attack to the mid-section.
Both guys are super nice and super talented @puna185 will be back and @BrendanAllenMMA will def be a title contender soon
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) July 24, 2021
“My coach said keep going to it, so I keep going to it,” Allen said of his focus on Soriano’s body. “Everyone knows who I wanna fight … win or lose, I want to fight … Sean Strickland for sure.”
Allen’s lone UFC defeat came to Strickland in November, a second-round TKO. Strickland fights Uriah Hall in the UFC fight night main event July 31.
Soriano (8-1) had never been past the second round in the UFC, and posted two first-round finishes after winning his way into the UFC — a KO of Oskar Piechota in December 2019, and a TKO of Dusko Todorovic in January.
Allen, a native of Beaufort, South Carolina, debuted in the Octagon with a second-round rear-naked choke victory over Kevin Holland in 2019. Now, he hopes for a chance at avenging his only UFC loss.
— Coppinger
Middleweight: Nassourdine Imavov (10-3, 2-1 UFC) defeats Ian Heinisch (14-5, 4-4 UFC) by second-round TKO
The UFC has been trying to break into France, and Imavov is one of the fighters with the most promise who are fighting out of that country.
Imavov finished durable veteran Heinisch via TKO at 3:09 of the second round, after a flurry of punches and a knee to the head in a clinch against the cage. The sequence started with Imavov landing a hard left hand that wobbled Heinisch.
Pinpoint accuracy ? @imavov1 #UFCVegas32 pic.twitter.com/zuP5YdSsCW
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 24, 2021
The striking of Imavov was the story of the fight. He looked very smooth on the feet, popping Heinisch with jab after jab, opening cuts on his face. Heinisch was firing back with calf kicks and takedown attempts, but Imavov weathered those techniques.
“Give me a top 10,” Imavov said afterward through a translator.
Imavov, 25, is now 2-1 in the UFC and looking like a fearsome prospect in the middleweight division. The Dagestan native has won seven of his last eight fights. He trains out of the MMA Factory in France, alongside top heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane. Heinisch, a 32-year-old Denver native, has dropped four of five.
— Raimondi
Welterweight: Mickey Gall (7-3, 6-3 UFC) defeats Jordan Williams (9-5, 0-2 UFC) by first-round submission
Gall, who entered a loser of three of his last five appearances in the Octagon, scored an impressive victory over Williams with a first-round tap-out via rear-naked choke at 2:57 of Round 1.
The 29-year-old floored Williams in the opening minute with a right hand and moments later was able to grab Williams’ back.
Alright safe to say @mickeygall has a better RNC then me ??? that was quick!!! #UFCVegas32
— Billy Q (@BillyQMMA) July 24, 2021
“I had a lot of urgency this camp,” said Gall, whose five submission wins — all by rear-naked-choke — are second-most in UFC welterweight history, behind Demian Maia‘s six. For context, Maia has done that in 20 UFC fights at welterweight while Gall has just 9.
Williams (0-2 UFC) was a -180 favorite, but never mounted any offense. The 30-year-old, who was featured in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, dropped a decision to Nassourdine Imavov in October.
Gall (6-3 UFC) was coming off a decision loss to Mike Perry in June 2020.
— Coppinger
Men’s bantamweight: Julio Arce (17-4, 4-2 UFC) defeats Andre Ewell (17-8, 4-4 UFC) by second-round TKO
Fighting at bantamweight for the first time in five years, Arce looked as good as ever.
Arce stopped Ewell via TKO at 3:45 of the second round with a huge flurry of punches. Ewell was never dropped, but referee Chris Tognoni clearly felt he was compromised to the point where the fight had to be ended.
@JArceTSMMA is officially back!! #UFCVegas32
— Shane Burgos (@HurricaneShaneB) July 24, 2021
Arce’s boxing looked solid in the first round, and he really let his hands go in the second. Ewell was able to land, as well, opening up a cut in the second to the side of Arce’s right eye. Arce’s left hand from the southpaw stance was the difference, doing damage every time it landed.
Arce, 31, is 2-2 in his last four fights. The New York native owns a win over featherweight contender Dan Ige. Ewell, a 33-year-old California native, has dropped two in a row.
— Raimondi
Women’s flyweight: Sijara Eubanks (8-6, 6-4 UFC) defeats Elise Reed (4-1, 0-1 UFC) by first-round TKO
Eubanks made quick work of Reed, forcing the referee to intervene at 3:49 of the opening round.
Eubanks’ strikes completely closed Reed’s right eye, and she finished Reed from a ground-and-pound position following an onslaught of punches and elbows. Eubanks connected on 19-of-34 ground strikes. Reed didn’t so much as attempt a strike from her back.
BIG performance by @SarjNCharge ?
[ #UFCVegas32 | LIVE on ESPN & E+ ] pic.twitter.com/QRAoDpZMXO
— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2021
The victory, Eubanks’ first finish in nine UFC fights, marked her return to 125 pounds. Eubanks, 36, owns a win over Lauren Murphy, who meets Valentina Shevchenko for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 266. Eubanks’ third consecutive victory is tied for third-longest active win streak in the division.
— Coppinger
Strawweight: Diana Belbita (14-6, 1-2 UFC) defeats Hannah Goldy (5-2, 0-2 UFC) by unanimous decision
Belbita and her right hand are a dangerous addition to the UFC strawweight division.
In an impressive performance, Belbita dropped Goldy in the first round and rocked her in the third with right crosses en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) win to open UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw. Belbita nearly finished Goldy in the first round before getting taken down. Goldy was able to take Belbita down late in the third again and land huge elbows. But Belbita survived and prevailed.
Early knockdown for @DianaBelbita ? #UFCVegas32 pic.twitter.com/lbC5VCUSoi
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 24, 2021
Belbita, 25, was making her debut at strawweight after moving down from flyweight. The Romania native, who fights out of Canada, snapped a two-fight losing streak. Goldy, a 29-year-old fighting out of Florida, has dropped her first two UFC fights after earning her way into the promotion on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018.
— Raimondi
Still to come:
Men’s bantamweight: Cory Sandhagen (14-2, 7-1 UFC, -195) vs. TJ Dillashaw (17-4, 12-4 UFC, +165)
Men’s bantamweight: Kyler Phillips (9-1, 3-0 UFC, -260) vs. Raulian Paiva (20-3, 2-2 UFC, +210)
Men’s featherweight: Darren Elkins (26-9, 15-8 UFC, +135) vs. Darrick Minner (26-11, 2-1 UFC, -160)
Source:ESPN
