UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Dillashaw will air on July 24, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Preliminary Card (ESPN/+)
DIANA “THE WARRIOR PRINCESS” BELBITA (13-6-0) vs HANNAH “QUEEN OF SPARTA” GOLDY (5-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s strawweight division. Belbita brings kickboxing and judo. Goldy brings boxing. Both are great with striking: Goldy is more aggressive with her boxing. She will throw heavy hands right away and cause quick damage to Belbita. Belbita will try to use her kickboxing, but it will not affect Goldy much at all. My prediction: Goldy wins via knockout in Round 1.
#13 SIJARA “SARJ” EUBANKS (6-6-0) vs ELISE REED (4-0-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s flyweight division. Eubanks brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Reed brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Reed is good with her striking, but she is not as aggressive as Eubanks. Eubanks will be throwing heavier strikes at Reed. Reed will try to defend, but won’t withstand Eubanks’ power. My prediction: Eubanks wins via unanimous decision.
JULIO ARCE (16-4-0) vs ANDRE “MR. HIGHLIGHT” EWELL (17-7-0)
This is a three-round fight in the bantamweight division. Arce brings boxing, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. Ewell brings boxing and jiu-jitsu. Both are well-rounded; Arce is much better with his pacing. He will conserve most of his energy while Ewell will grow tired as the fight progresses. Ewell will try to find an opening on Arce, but Arce will keep his defense up making it impossible for Ewell to find an opening. My prediction: Arce wins via unanimous decision.
MICKEY GALL (6-3-0) vs JORDAN “BOMAYE” WILLIAMS (9-4-0, 1 NC)
This is a three-round fight in the welterweight division. Gall brings boxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Williams brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Williams is tough and looks to give Gall a run for his money. However, Gall is well-rounded and holds great grappling. His combinations of jiu-jitsu and wrestling will prove too much for Williams. My prediction: Gall wins via submission in Round 1.
NASSOURDINE “RUSSIAN SNIPER” IMAVOV (9-3-0) vs #15 IAN “THE HURRICANE” HEINISCH (14-4-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Imavov brings striking and grappling. Heinisch brings boxing and wrestling. Two tough fighters; Heinisch is faster with his strikes. He will land more strikes and avoid many of Imavov’s. Imavov will try to catch Heinisch off guard, but Heinisch will keep his guard up throughout the fight. My prediction: Heinisch wins via TKO in Round 2.
PUNAHELE “STORY TIME” SORIANO (8-0-0) vs BRENDAN “ALL IN” ALLEN (16-4-0)
This is a three-round fight in the middleweight division. Soriano brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Allen brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both are just about even in techniques; Soriano is just a tad better with his striking. He will be faster and avoid more of Allen’s strikes. Allen will land a few heavy blows on Soriano, but they won’t be enough to put him down. My prediction: Soriano wins via unanimous decision.
Main Card (ESPN/+)
ADRIAN YANEZ (13-3-0) vs RANDY “THE ZOHAN” COSTA (6-1-0)
This is a three-round fight in the bantamweight division. Yanez brings striking and grappling. Costa brings kickboxing and jiu-jitsu. Yanez looks to take advantage of the fight by having more experience. Costa is a better striker and he will not be stopped by Yanez’s experience. Costa will give Yanez everything he has until Yanez goes down for the count. My prediction: Costa wins via knockout in Round 2.
#13 MIRANDA “THE FEAR” MAVERICK (9-2-0) vs #14 MAYCEE “THE FUTURE” BARBER (8-2-0)
This is a three-round fight in the women’s flyweight division. Maverick brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, judo, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Barber brings striking, karate, and jiu-jitsu. Barber is a fighter who never gives up and looks to use her striking to take Maverick out. Maverick will take a few hits, but she will not go down. Maverick will bring Barber to the ground and use her ground-and-pound. This plan of attack will continue until Barber can no longer continue. My prediction: Maverick wins via TKO in Round 2.
DARREN “THE DAMAGE” ELKINS (25-9-0) vs DARRICK MINNER (26-11-0)
This is a three-round fight in the featherweight division. Elkins brings striking, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Minner brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Elkins will look to use his jiu-jitsu and wrestling to take control of the fight. Minner will keep the fight standing and throw heavy hands at Elkins. Elkins will try to defend, but he won’t be able to stop the power and aggression of Minner. My prediction: Minner wins via unanimous decision.
#14 KYLER “MATRIX” PHILIPS (9-1-0) vs #12 RAULIAN PAIVA (20-3-0)
This is a three-round co-main event in the bantamweight division. Philips brings striking, judo, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. Paiva brings striking and jiu-jitsu. Both bring plenty of techniques; Philips is more well-rounded with his. He will use his grappling to take control of the fight early on. Paiva will try to keep the fight standing, but he won’t be able to stop Philips’ takedowns. Once on the ground, Philips will be able to wear him down throughout the fight until the very end. My prediction: Philips wins via unanimous decision.
#2 CORY SANDHAGEN (14-2-0) vs T.J. DILLASHAW (16-4-0)
This is a five-round main event in the bantamweight division. Sandhagen brings boxing, kickboxing, and jiu-jitsu. Dillashaw brings kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling. He is a two-time bantamweight champion. Dillashaw is tough and aggressive with his strikes and will be looking to put a major beating on Sandhagen. However, Sandhagen is tough and always brings knockout power to every fight. He will be throwing big strikes and landing many of them, which will hurt Dillashaw. Dillashaw will try for takedowns, but he will only walk right into Sandhagen’s attacks. My prediction: Sandhagen wins via knockout in Round 1.
