Cory Sandhagen’s bout against TJ Dillashaw on May 8 is off.
The return of TJ Dillashaw has been put on hold.
One of Cory Sandhagen’s training partners, Justin Wetzell, first tweeted that the former UFC bantamweight champion was out of their upcoming bout on May 8 due to a cut suffered during a training session.
#Desperate TJ must not have liked what he seen on tape and needs more time, he’s pushing the fight back to June because of a “cut” sustained in training.
— Justin Wetzell (@JWetzellMMA) April 27, 2021
Shortly thereafter, MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn shed new light into the matter and said the fight wasn’t off just yet, but Dillashaw has since confirmed his withdrawal from the contest.
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. https://t.co/oTXFDZzviB
— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) April 28, 2021
After a two-year USADA suspension due to testing positive for EPO and HGH, TJ Dillashaw was finally cleared to return in January 2021. His career was put on hold following a TKO defeat to then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo, in January 2019. Before that, the 35-year-old was on a four-fight winning streak, with victories over Cody Garbrandt twice, John Lineker, and Raphael Assuncao.
In his last outing, Cory Sandhagen (14-2) picked up a highlight reel flying knee knockout win over Frankie Edgar, back in February. The victory started a new streak for the ‘Sandman’, after he had already TKO’d Marlon Moraes in October 2020. The 29-year-old’s last loss happened in June of the same year, when he got quickly submitted by current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling.
As far as what the new main event will be for UFC Vegas 26, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reports that strawweight contenders Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez are the frontrunners to be the new headliners.