UFC on ESPN 27 Results: TJ Dillashaw Beats Cory Sandhagen via Decision in Main Event
July 25, 2021
TJ Dillashaw's 30-month hiatus away from the Octagon ended Saturday evening with a split-decision win over Cory Sandhagen to cap UFC on ESPN 27 from UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The former UFC bantamweight champion, who was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for EPO use, moved to 17-4 for his career. The 35-year-old has won nine of his last 11 matches.
The main card also included the fight of the night in Raulian Paiva's majority-decision win over Kyler Phillips and the performance of the night in Adrian Yanez's second-round TKO over Randy Costa.
Here's a look at results from all 11 fights alongside highlights and notes from the main card.
UFC on ESPN 27 Results
Main Card
TJ Dillashaw def. Cory Sandhagen by split decision (47-48, 48-47, 48-47)
Raulian Paiva def. Kyler Phillips by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Darren Elkins def. Darrick Minner by second-round TKO at 3:48 (punches)
Maycee Barber def. Miranda Maverick by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Adrian Yanez def. Randy Costa by second-round TKO at 2:11 (punches)
Preliminary Card
Brendan Allen def. Punahele Soriano by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Nassourdine Imavov def. Ian Heinisch by second-round TKO at 3:09 (punches)
Mickey Gall def. Jordan Williams by first-round submission at 2:57 (rear-naked choke)
Julio Arce def. Andre Ewell by second-round TKO at 3:45 (punches)
Sijara Eubanks def. Elise Reed by first-round TKO at 3:49 (punches)
Diana Belbita def. Hannah Goldy by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Main Card Highlights
TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen
An action-packed five-round bantamweight fight capped the evening in Vegas, although Sandhagen looked to end this one early with a flying knee:
UFC @ufcSandman going for another flying knee finish! 😳 <br><br>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCVegas32?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCVegas32</a> | We're LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNPlus</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/QkpY0CUFte">pic.twitter.com/QkpY0CUFte</a>
The action continued in Round 2, with both men trading blows:
Sandhagen connected on a backfist near the end of Round 4, but Dillashaw hung tough:
The final round featured 78 significant strikes, per UFC Stats.
In the end, Dillashaw eked out the sensational victory to begin his UFC comeback.
Sandhagen, who won nine of his last 10 fights before Saturday, is now 14-3 lifetime.
Raulian Paiva vs. Kyler Phillips
In the co-main event, Paiva survived a vicious beating from Phillips near the end of Round 1 and somehow hung around to win this bantamweight fight:
UFC @ufcThe Matrix letting it all go in Round 1️⃣<br><br>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCVegas32?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCVegas32</a> | LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNPlus</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/rQUhQOY4Lx">pic.twitter.com/rQUhQOY4Lx</a>
Per UFC Stats, Phillips landed 45 significant strikes in Round 1 compared to Paiva's 13.
Paiva turned the tide in Round 2, though, closing that stretch strong with a few big punches:
UFC @ufcShifting momentum 😱<br><br>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCVegas32?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCVegas32</a> | LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNPlus</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/0Vr2AtolzP">pic.twitter.com/0Vr2AtolzP</a>
The fight went to the judges, who ruled in favor of Paiva en route to his third straight win:
Paiva is now 21-3 lifetime. Phillips is 9-2.
Darren Elkins vs. Darrick Minner
Darrick Minner nearly won his featherweight fight within the first few minutes after locking in an armbar on Darren Elkins, but the eventual winner escaped from the hold:
Minner landed 19 significant strikes in that round compared to just four for Elkins, but the momentum completely shifted in Round 2.
Once there, Elkins landed 16 significant strikes to none for Minner. The end of the fight saw Elkins winning this one thanks to some vicious ground-and-pound:
Elkins, who netted a $50,000 bonus for the performance of the night, is now 26-9. Minner fell to 26-12.
Maycee Barber vs. Miranda Maverick
Maycee Barber defeated Miranda Maverick by split decision in this flyweight bout, but this result was not without controversy.
Maverick had 82 total strikes (47 significant) compared to Barber's 38 total strikes (36 significant). She was also notably the victor on the global scorecard, via Verdict MMA:
Numerous analysts questioned the scorecards too:
Eddie Teach @TheEddieMercadoMiranda Maverick was robbed. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCVegas32?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCVegas32</a> results: Barber takes questionable decision over Maverick, Yanez rallies to stop Costa <a href="https://t.co/5peZ1P7o9w">https://t.co/5peZ1P7o9w</a>
In the end, Barber was declared the winner:
UFC @ufcThe future is still bright for <a href="https://twitter.com/MayceeBarber?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MayceeBarber</a> ⭐️<br><br>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCVegas32?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UFCVegas32</a> | LIVE on <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPN</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ESPNPlus</a> ] <a href="https://t.co/gTUV9hi4pE">pic.twitter.com/gTUV9hi4pE</a>
Barber moved to 9-2 as a professional. Maverick is now 9-3.
Adrian Yanez vs. Randy Costa
Yanez's UFC career now consists of three knockout wins and three performances of the night awards.
His latest victory was a second-round TKO over Costa thanks to this flurry of punches to cap this bantamweight brawl:
Yanez is now 14-3 lifetime with seven straight professional wins overall, but it didn't look like he'd get that win after taking a beating initially. Costa landed 57 significant strikes in Round 1 alone, but Yanez somehow survived.
Costa fell to 6-2, ending a two-match win streak.