TJ Dillashaw will still make his UFC return against Cory Sandhagen, it will just happen on a different date.
Originally, Dillashaw was set to return on May 8 after his two-year USADA suspension against Cory Sandhagen in a pivotal main event. However, the former champ ended up sustaining a nasty cut and was forced to pull out of the bout and the plan was to rebook the scrap.
Now, according to MMAJunkie, Dillashaw vs. Sandhagen has been rebooked to headline the July 24 show.
TJ Dillashaw (16-4) has not fought since he suffered a 32-second TKO loss to Henry Cejudo in January of 2019 for the flyweight title. Prior to that, he had the back-to-back KO wins over Cody Garbrandt to reclaim and defend his title. In his career, he holds notable wins over John Lineker, Renan Barao, and Raphael Assuncao among others.
Cory Sandhagen (14-2), meanwhile, is coming off the 28-second flying knee KO over Frankie Edgar. It was his second straight win after he knocked out Marlon Moraes to get back into the win column after being submitted to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250. He’s 7-1 in the UFC and had he beaten Sterling he would’ve gotten a title shot.
There is no question the stakes are still the same for this fight between Dillashaw and Sandhagen. The winner will be the number one contender at bantamweight and face the winner of Sterling vs. Petr Yan 2. For Dillashaw, it is also a chance to prove he is still the best bantamweight alive, while Sandhagen would pick up the biggest win of his career.
With Dillashaw vs. Sandhagen as the main event, the July 24 event is as follows:
- T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Maycee Barber vs. Miranda Maverick
- Macy Chiasson vs. Aspen Ladd
- Trevin Jones vs. Tony Kelley
- Raphael Assuncao vs. Kyler Phillips
- Mickey Gall vs. Jordan Williams
- Randy Costa vs. Adrian Yanez
- Ian Heinisch vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Julio Arce vs. Andre Ewell
Who do you think wins the fight between TJ Dillashaw and Cory Sandhagen?