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Facial cut forces T.J. Dillashaw from UFC comeback fight vs. Cory Sandhagen
The wait to see T.J. Dillashaw step back in the UFC octagon just got a little longer.
Dillashaw, a former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, was scheduled to meet Cory Sandhagen in the UFC on ESPN 24 headliner on May 8 in what would be his first bout since January 2019 following a two-year doping suspension.
Dillashaw suffered a cut above his eye in training that was subsequently infected. He was hopeful to compete, but did not receive clearance from doctors. Twitter user C. Contreras Legaspi was first to report Dillashaw (16-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) vs. Sandhagen (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was in jeopardy.
The former UFC champ posted a statement on Tuesday announcing the news (via Instagram):
I’m sad to say that I have to be pulled from my fight on May 8th due to a cut received from a head butt while drilling. Rescheduling the fight as soon as possible.
Dillashaw, 35, recently completed a two-year U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension stemming from a positive drug test for EPO in January 2019 – the testing timeframe of his first-round TKO loss in a flyweight title challenge against then-champion Henry Cejudo.
The fight in which Dillashaw tested was his first attempt at flyweight competition, and it came on the heels of a four-fight winning streak that included back-to-back TKO wins over rival Cody Garbrandt.
As for Sandhagen, he’s been unblemished in his UFC tenure minus an 88-second loss to Aljamain Sterling in June 2020. Since that defeat, Sandhagen has won back-to-back fights by knockout. In October, Sandhagen defeated Marlon Moraes by spinning wheel kick and punches before he earned a potential 2021 “Knockout of the Year” candidate with a brutal flying knee knockout of Frankie Edgar in February.
According to a report from ESPN, a strawweight matchup between Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez could serve as the new UFC on ESPN 24 headliner.
The UFC on ESPN 24 lineup now includes:
- Cory Sandhagen vs. TBA
- Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
- Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
- Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
- Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
- Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park
- Philipe Lins vs. Ben Rothwell
- Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas
- Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal
- Ludovit Klein vs. Mike Trizano
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Phil Hawes
- Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
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