Dominick Cruz reveals what TJ Dillashaw has to do to beat Cory Sandhagen

Dominick Cruz (left), Cory Sandhagen (centre), and TJ Dillashaw (right)
Dominick Cruz (left), Cory Sandhagen (centre), and TJ Dillashaw (right)

Dominick Cruz is well known for fending off ring rust and outpointing his opponents after long layoffs. According to Dominator, TJ Dillashaw will have to do the same if he wants to beat Cory Sandhagen.

Dillashaw and Sandhagen are expected to collide in the main event of UFC on ESPN 24. The show will take place on May 8, 2021, from the UFC Apex, Nevada, United States.

In his interview with James Lynch, Dominick Cruz reflected on how his former foe can make a huge comeback against Sandhagen. According to Cruz, Dillashaw will have to go into the fight unscathed since he hasn't fought in over two years. If the former bantamweight champ feels healthy and confident stepping into the octagon, he may get the better of Sandhagen, said Cruz:

"If he (TJ Dillashaw) is going into this next fight like that, he's got a good chance against Sandhagen. But he's gonna have to mix in his takedowns in his wrestling because I think if that fight stays standing, Sandhagen gets a pretty good advantage. You got to at least mix it, you don't have to finish every takedown but you got to creat some options there because Sandhagen has been looking real sharp," Cruz told James Lynch.
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When Dominick Cruz beat TJ Dillashaw to win the UFC bantamweight championship after a long hiatus

Dominick Cruz reclaimed the UFC bantamweight title after beating TJ Dillashaw in a five-round war. Dominator was making his return after almost a year and a half, having fought Takeya Mizugaki in his last outing.

Meanwhile, Dillashaw was at the peak of his career with three championship wins under his belt. The 35-year-old went up against Cruz as a favorite, however, he lost the fight via a close split decision. The judges scored the contest 48-47, 46-49, 49-46 in favor of Dominick Cruz. Both fighters bagged $50,000 as a bonus after receiving the Fight of the Night accolade.

A year later, Dillashaw captured the bantamweight championship once again following his win over Cody Garbrandt. He eventually lost the title to Henry Cejudo in January 2019, and was banned for two years after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO).

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Edited by John Cunningham