UFC Vegas 32: Sandhagen vs Dillashaw Main Card Betting Odds and Predictions

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw returns from his drug suspension on Saturday night to take on Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 at the UFC APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dillashaw was forced to relinquish the bantamweight title in 2019 after testing positive for a banned substance. He served a two-year suspension but is now cleared to return. Sandhagen meanwhile is on the cusp of getting a title shot after back-to-back wins over Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar. Currently ranked no. 2 in the bantamweight division, Snahdagen is all but guaranteed a shot at the belt if he beats Dillashaw on Saturday night.

Cory Sandhagen vs T.J. Dillashaw

Cory Sandhagen is the no. 2 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The Sandman is a former SCL bantamweight champion who joined the UFC in 2018 after fighting at LFA. The 29-year old from Aurora, Colorado is 7-1 inside the UFC Octagon with his only loss a submission defeat at the hands of current champion Aljamain Sterling.

Sandhagen has a record of 14-2 with six knockouts and three submission wins. In his last two bouts, Sandhagen scored stoppage wins over fellow top contenders Marlon Moraes and Frankie Edgar. He is a switch hitter who stands 5-11 tall with a reach of 70 inches.

T.J. Dillashaw is the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion and TUF 14 finalist. The 35-year old from Sonora, California will be fighting for the first time in two-and-a-half years after serving a PED-related suspension. Dillashaw reclaimed the bantamweight by defeating Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217 and successfully defended the belt in a rematch at UFC 227. However, he was stripped of the title after failing a drug test.

Dillashaw is 16-4 with eight knockout victories and three wins via submission. He is coming off a loss to Henry Cejudo in a fight where he moved down to flyweight to challenge for the belt. Dillashaw is an orthodox fighter who is 5-6 tall with a 67-inch reach.

At first look, T.J. Dillashaw at plus money is a tantalizing pick as you are getting one of the best to do it at a favorable price. However, Dillashaw has been out of the octagon for two and a half years and although he could still be in his prime, you’ll never know what to get out of him after being out for such a long time.

But let’s say Dillashaw returns like 2019 Dillashaw. That version dominated the division with his unorthodox striking which frustrated his opponents. That might not work against Sandhagen who stands almost six inches taller has a three-inch advantage in reach. If you ask me, Dillashaw might spend the entire fight trying to fend off shots from all angles.

Sandhagen is a volume striker as he lands nearly seven significant strikes per minute while getting tagged with just half of what he gives. His size, speed, and ability to mix shots from all angles make him a problem for a fighter coming off a two-year layoff.

Given all the unknowns with Dillashaw and the fact that Sandhagen is 7-1 in the UFC, I’ll lay the chalk with the Sandman here. I think Sandhagen catches Dillashaw with something big and he will overwhelm the former champ with volume.

Prediction: Cory Sandhagen

Kyler Phillips vs Raulian Paiva

Kyler Phillips is the no. 14 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 26-year old from Torrance, California fought under CXF and LFA while also having an unsuccessful stint at the Contender Series. However, he still found his way to the UFC where he is undefeated in three bouts with two post-fight bonuses.

Phillips is 9-1 with five knockouts and one submission victory. He stands 5-8 tall with a reach of 72 inches and is an orthodox fighter.

Raulian Paiva is the no. 12 ranked flyweight in the UFC. The 25-year old from Amapa, Brazil was the NEC bantamweight champion in his home country. He joined the Contender Series Brazil 3 and earned a UFC contract. Paiva lost his first two UFC bouts but has won two in a row.

He has a record of 20-3 with four knockouts and three submission wins. Paiva is 5-8 tall with a 69-inch reach and fights out of the orthodox stance.

Kyler Phillips is a fighter to watch as he’s won four in a row and his striking has improved during his current winning run. Phillips’ cardio is on point now and he brings that unpredictability that catches his opponents off guard.

Raulian Paiva is a very well-rounded fighter who has the ability to adjust mid-fight if things aren’t going his way inside the cage. I can see him doing that against Phillips here and that’s going to enable him to go the distance.

However, I think that Phillips’ striking will be too much for Paiva to handle. Although he’s going to survive, there is no way he is outpointing the much-improved Phillips on the feet.

Prediction: Kyler Phillips

Darren Elkins vs Darrick Miner

Darren Elkins is the former C3 lightweight champion who joined the UFC in 2010. The 37-year old from Portage, Indiana won six straight bouts from 2015 to 2017 but proceeded to lose his next four bouts. With his UFC career on the line, he submitted Luis Garagorri in his last bout.

Elkins has a record of 25-8 with eight knockouts and five submission wins. He is an orthodox fighter who stands 5-10 tall with a 71-inch reach.

Darrick Miner is a former DCS featherweight champion who had an unsuccessful stint in the Contender Series where he lost to Herbert Burns. Miner lost to Grant Dawson via submission in his UFC debut last year but has won back-to-back bouts against T.J. Laramie and Charles Rosa.

Miner has a record of 26-11 with one knockout and 22 wins via submission. The 31-year old from Auburn, Nebraska stands 5-7 tall with a 69-inch reach while fighting out of the orthodox stance.

Miner is a veteran of 37 MMA fights and we’ve seen him lose 11 times, 8 via submission, with all losses coming at the hands of capable grapplers. Unfortunately for him, his opponent in this bout is a terrific grappler.

Elkins has a solid wrestling background as he was a former NCAA Division II wrestler in college. The 37-year old may be past his prime but with Miner’s porous takedown defense, Elkins is going to take this fight to the mat where he will be able to impose his grappling to beat Miner.

I’m not discounting the possibility of Elkins getting into a position where he can finish Miner with a submission move.

Prediction: Darren Elkins

Miranda Mavericks vs Maycee Barber

Miranda Maverick is the no. 13 ranked female flyweight in the UFC. The 24-year old from Tunas, Missouri fought for Invicta FC and Shogun Fights before joining the UFC in 2020. She is 2-0 inside the Octagon and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Gillian Anderson.

Maverick is 9-2 with one knockout and five submission victories. She is a southpaw fighter who is 5-3 tall and has a reach of 65 inches.

Maycee Barber is the 14th ranked female flyweight in the UFC. The 23-year old from Greeley, Colorado joined the UFC via the Contender Series. She entered the promotion undefeated and won her first three UFC assignments. However, she’s lost back-to-back bouts against Roxanne Modafferi and Alexa Grasso.

Barber is 8-2 with five knockouts and two submission victories. She is 5-5 tall with a reach of 65 inches and fights as a switch hitter.

Maverick will have the advantage on the feet in terms of volume of strikes and better defense. But with Barber packing more pop in her punches, Maverick may have to adjust and she can do so by taking Barber to the ground and win this fight with better grappling.

Barber usually dominates when she has the size advantage over her opponent but that won’t be the case here. I expect her to try and turn this into a bar brawl where she can land her big punches and put Maverick to sleep. However, Mavericks may be technically sound enough to avoid that.

There’s no question on the Potential of Barber but she’s lost back-to-back fights while Maverick has won five in a row. This isn’t the opponent to try to get back on track.

Prediction: Miranda Maverick

Mickey Gall vs Jordan Williams

Mickey Gall is best remembered as the fighter who was given the assignment to fight CM Punk in the latter’s UFC debut. Of course, that didn’t end well for CM Punk while Gall went a pedestal 3-3 since that victory. The 29-year old from Green Brook, New Jersey heads to this fight coming off a unanimous decision loss to Mike Perry.

Gall is 6-3 with five of his victories coming via submission. He is a switch hitter who is 6-2 tall with a reach of 74 inches.

Jordan Williams fought under Tachi Palace Fights and Bellator among other promotions before joining the UFC last year. He lost in his first two tries at the Contender Series but finally got a win against Gregor Rodrigues which in turn led to a UFC deal. The 30-year old from Santa Rosa, California lost to Nassourdine Imavov in his UFC debut.

Williams is a southpaw who is 6-1 tall with a 75-inch reach. He has a record of 9-4 with seven knockouts and one submission loss.

Gall is all about the submissions as he’s never scored a knockout in his career and five of his six wins have been by rear-naked choke. But unless he takes this fight to the mat, his best weapon would be useless.

Unfortunately for Gall, Williams has an 88% takedown defense so there’s a good chance he keeps this fight on the feet. In the stand-up, he should be able to bully Gall with his volume striking and accuracy. Gall will be desperate for the takedowns and that leaves him open to getting countered with a big punch and getting dropped.

I’m not saying Gall can’t take this fight to the mat. But even if he does, Williams has decent defensive grappling and he should be able to take this fight back to the feet where it’s going to be a no-contest.

Prediction: Jordan Williams

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