Sandhagen vs Dillashaw – What you need to know

Last week’s event saw upsets, comebacks and non-stop enthralling action in the Octagon. This week we stay in Las Vegas, with what’s set to be another terrific card.

Bantamweight battlers

Two fearsome bantamweights face off as no.2 contender Cory Sandhagen takes on former bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw.

Sandhagen has won nine of his last 10 bouts, including his last two in a row. He holds a 14-2 record, with nine of those victories coming by finishes, six by knockout and three via submission. When he isn’t training, he works for a nonprofit company that specialises in caring for vulnerable and neglected children.

Former champ Dillashaw, who has won four of his last five bouts, will be hoping to get back into title contention. He holds the most wins, most finishes and most performance bonuses in UFC bantamweight history, and as a challenger and champion, he has recorded five title victories in the division. He wrestled in college while studying Kinesiology (study of the mechanics of body movements) and took up fighting after he graduated.

Fiery finishers

The co-main is also a bantamweight clash, but for two top-10 women, as Aspen Ladd faces Macy Chiasson.

Ladd is currently the no.3 women’s bantamweight contender, holding a 9-1 professional record. She has secured seven finishes, six by knockout and one submission by armbar. Ladd has been training since she was 14 and holds a purple belt in BJJ. She swears by daily hikes to help with conditioning.

Ranked as the no.9 contender in the division, Chiasson has won her last two bouts, her most recent was a win by unanimous decision over Marion Reneau in March. Chiasson started training in 2011 and previously competed in TUF 28.

Caught in The Matrix

Two exciting athletes, both on winning streaks are also preparing for a clash as Kyler ‘The Matrix’ Phillips is up against Raulian Paiva.

Since entering the UFC, Phillips holds a perfect 3-0 record and is currently on a four-fight win streak. In his three fights, he has already racked up two post-fight bonuses – a fight of the night award for his clash with Gabriel Silva and a performance of the night bonus for his second-round knockout over Cameron Else.

Paiva holds a 20-3 record and has won his last two fights. He has four wins by knockout and three via submission, three of these wins came by first-round finishes. Paiva was a salesperson before turning pro and abandoned the job to take up fighting full-time.