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One of the biggest non-pay-per-view events of the year, UFC Vegas 32, is in the books after a night of action-packed fights. The biggest story was the return of controversial former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw to active competition.
In the main event, Dillashaw defeated Cory Sandhagen to reinsert himself in the title picture. As it turns out, ring rust and his previous issues with banned substances were non-factors, with the 35-year-old superstar busting out his old weapons and utilizing them to perfection.
But looking past the main event, several storylines unfolded at Saturday night's event. With that in mind, let's take a look at five important things we learned from the recently concluded UFC Vegas 32.
#5. Some results at UFC Vegas 32 showed we still need better judges
![Maycee Barber defeats Miranda Maverick at UFC Vegas 32 [Photo credit: @@MMAFighting on Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/1bf70-16272878545730-800.jpg)
Judging has long been an issue for the UFC. In fact, even UFC president Dana White doesn't 100% trust the people in charge of determining the outcome of his promotion's fights. "Don't leave it in the hands of the judges," White has repeatedly mentioned in past interviews.
At UFC Vegas 32, a couple of fights concluded by way of controversial decisions. There was a ton of backlash surrounding two main card bouts. They were Maycee Barber vs. Miranda Maverick and Kyler Phillips vs. Raulian Paiva.
Barber earned a much-needed win to snap her two-fight losing skid against fellow rising star Maverick. However, her triumph wasn't well-received, with many believing her opponent was the rightful winner.
Unfortunately, the questionable judging didn't end there. In the co-main event, Brazil's Paiva snatched a majority decision victory over bantamweight prospect Phillips.
The back-and-forth thriller was well-received by fans and pros alike and was awarded with 'Fight of the Night' honors. However, a huge chunk of observers disagreed with how the judges saw the fight.
Now, let's go back to White and his famous stance with regards to the issue. While it's good that the UFC boss acknowledges that the system is broken, not much ever changes. It's as if losing due to a questionable decision is somehow the fighters' fault. With questionable results and undeserved setbacks still happening in the sport, something has to be done to improve the quality of judging.
#4. Adrian Yanez is a force to be reckoned with
Adrian Yanez is called 'Mr. Knockout' for a reason, and UFC Vegas 32 served as another reminder of that. Yanez put the bantamweight division on notice with a strong comeback effort to earn his third consecutive UFC win.
Not only did Yanez prove that he's capable of dishing out explosive punches, but he also exhibited his ability to take them. Randy Costa peppered Yanez with punches for a large portion of the opening round. 'Zohan' kept connecting with stiff jabs, head kicks, and huge right hands to his opponent's head.
Known for his counterpunching, Yanez decided to change things up after an unsuccessful first round. Once Costa slowed down, the Texas resident turned the pressure up. Marching forward, Yanez started to land some hard shots and sent his opponent back pedaling.
Yanez found his rhythm mid-way into the second round as his combinations were starting to find an address. With more than three minutes remaining in the round, Yanez cracked Costa with a thunderous uppercut and followed up with ground strikes to seal the TKO win at UFC Vegas 32.
#3. UFC Vegas 32 taught us that inactivity might not be a huge obstacle for returning fighters
![T.J. Dillashaw at UFC Vegas 32 (left), Miesha Tate at UFC Vegas 31 (right) [Photo credit: @ufc on Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/1370e-16272936809633-800.jpg)
Conor McGregor has made a big deal about inactivity being a major hurdle for a returning fighter. He cited his lack of exposure to action as the main reason why he lost to Dustin Poirier in their UFC 257 rematch earlier this year
But in back-to-back weeks, Miesha Tate and T.J. Dillashaw have put forth solid pieces of evidence that ring rust is not as big of an obstacle to overcome as many say.
After spending five years in retirement, Tate returned to action at UFC Vegas 31 and looked as sharp as ever against Marion Reneau. And of course, Dillashaw upped the ante by returning from a 30-month layoff against an elite opponent in Cory Sandhagen.
Granted, spending a long time away from the octagon definitely doesn't help fighters stay at the top of their games, but Dillashaw and Tate proved that it's possible to avoid losing a step in the octagon.
Perhaps UFC Vegas 32 is proof that ring rust has nothing to do with how long a fighter has been gone, and everything to do with what they did while they were away.
#2. UFC Vegas 32 showed Cory Sandhagen needs more polish
Many believed UFC Vegas 32 would be Cory Sandhagen's coming out party as a legitimate title threat. 'The Sandman' came into UFC Vegas 32 as a -185 favorite, and with good reason.
But Sandhagen came up short against T.J. Dillashaw in what was the biggest fight of his career so far. The 29-year-old was not disciplined enough to stick to his strengths and fell victim to Dillashaw's relentless pace as a result.
UFC legend Daniel Cormier was noticeably frustrated on commentary during the fight. 'DC' mentioned time and time again how Sandhagen was dominating until he decided, on multiple occasions, to get flashy and he paid the price for it.
That's not to say that Cory Sandhagen isn't capable of winning the UFC bantamweight title in the future. After all, there's no shame in losing to a bonafide elite like Dillashaw.
#1. T.J. Dillashaw is still the best bantamweight in the UFC
![T.J. Dillashaw poses after defeating Cory Sandhagen [Photo credit: @UFCEurope on Twitter]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/07/2e6cd-16272940057146-800.jpg)
Love him or hate him, T.J. Dillashaw has a legitimate claim to be the best bantamweight in the UFC today. The former bantamweight champ overcame hurdles and shattered doubts regarding his place in the 135-pound division this past weekend at UFC Vegas 32.
Unfortunately, Dillashaw's career will always be viewed with a hint of skepticism due to his positive test for the banned substance erythropoietin (EPO). According to Dillashaw, he only turned to EPO to help him make the brutal cut to flyweight. On the flipside, Dillashaw's former teammates Urijah Faber and Cody Garbrandt had accused him of cheating the system long before he was caught.
Is there any conclusive way to determine which side is telling the truth? Unfortunately, no.
But what we do know is that Dillashaw was tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) 11 times while he was away. Dillashaw's victory over Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32 proved that he's a championship-level talent without performance enhancers.
Is Dillashaw a cheater? Well, yes. But does he deserve the benefit of the doubt after serving his time and showing no signs of any loss in performance while clean? He does, too.
