In a blood-soaked, action-packed, five-round battle, former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw returned after a two year suspension for performance enhancing drugs to win a split decision over Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 27 Saturday in Las Vegas.
Both fighters kept up a brutal pace with the action heating up early in the first round as Sandhagen went for a flying knee. Dillashaw caught him in the air and took him down. A back and forth battle ensued with Sandhagen regaining his feet only to have Dillashaw work behind him where he landed knees to the hips and legs. It was a position he was able to consistently achieve throughout the bout, which may have proven the difference in a close contest.
Dillashaw suffered a bad cut to the eye in the second round that bothered him the rest of the fight but he never slowed his pace continuing to pressure Sandhagen for all five rounds mixing his clinching and go behinds with hard leg kicks. The narrow victory now places Dillashaw back in title contention.
