UFC Vegas 32 - Breakdowns & Predictions
When is UFC Vegas 32? Saturday 25th July, 2021 - 22:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC Vegas 32? UFC APEX, Enterprise, Nevada (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC Vegas 32? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC events
What channel is UFC Vegas 32 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC Vegas 32? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
CORY SANDHAGEN VS TJ DILLASHAW
Many bantamweights were hoping to welcome the former champion back after his drugs ban, but Cory Sandhagen (14-2) gets the lucky ticket, and it is thoroughly deserved. He was in title contention last year until the current champion, Aljamain Sterling pounced on his back to snap his seven-fight win streak and hand him the first submission loss of his career. However, he responded with the two biggest and most spectacular wins of his career. He spinning back kicked Marlon Moraes out of the title picture and followed it up four months later by stiffening Frankie Edgar with a hellacious flying knee.
TJ Dillashaw (16-4) has been out for over two years after, to put it bluntly, trying to cheat his way to becoming a double champion. He was coming off those two epic grudge matches with Cody Garbrandt where he knocked him out both times to solidify himself as one of the best bantamweights of all time. He then decided to try a deathly cut down a division to 125 lbs and take on Henry Cejudo for his crown. He successfully made weight despite looking like an extra terrestrial and it clearly hampered his performance as he got clipped and TKO’d in the first round paving the way for Cejudo’s cringe era.
PREDICTION
Many doubt Dillashaw’s character but there is no doubting his talent. Two and a half years is a long time out of the game and having their original date postponed after getting cut in training was not ideal, but he did need some time off to repair and recover from injuries including both shoulders which were impaired in his prime.
He has also continued to train, and the question is not whether Dillashaw has regressed but more whether Sandhagen has closed skill gap since Dillashaw last fought. Based on his last two outings, it certainly looks like it.
They are both at the top of the food chain when it comes to striking but with contrasting styles. Sandhagen fights long with power using all eight limbs whereas Dillashaw has some of the best movement and output in the game with phenomenal combinations.
The stand-up battle will be a spectacle of tactical and world class striking. Very few fighters have got the better of Dillashaw on the feet, but Sandhagen is brimming with confidence, in the form of his life and will boast a reach advantage having five inches in height, three in arm reach and two in leg reach.
However, where Dillashaw has the edge in is the wrestling department. We can expect him to leverage these skills at any moment as he has seamless level changes. Expect Sandhagen to open up with kicks from range attacking the calf and mid-section and if he starts to land and frustrate Dillashaw by keeping out of range, he can expect a takedown attempt.
Sandhagen has brilliant range control but unless he lands and tests the chin of Dillashaw, he will struggle to stay safe and match his volume for five rounds. Dillashaw’s cardio is off the charts and his movement is so fluid, he will find a way into the pocket to fire off one of his trademarked combinations ending in a high kick. Sandhagen also has crazy cardio, but the difference will be Dillashaw’s pressure if it goes into the championship rounds.
However, Sandhagen’s accuracy and timing could be the difference. We can easily see him finding a home for a knee as Dillashaw shoots in or an elbow exiting the clinch. His bony limbs will threaten Dillashaws’s chin and the difference in activity will favour Sandhagen when it comes to timing.
This is a tough one to call but we guarantee it will be an epic showdown. We can see an early Sandhagen knockout but also a vintage Dillashaw performance mixing in takedowns to seal a decision or late knockout. It is very hard to back against Sandhagen at the moment but we are leaning towards the former champ and as he is the underdog, he is a good bet to win.
Prediction: Dillashaw via Decision
Value Bet: Dillashaw to win
ASPEN LADD VS MACY CHIASSON
Aspen Ladd (9-1) is finally back in action after not having fought since December 2019. It was an unforgettable performance. After getting controlled in Yana Kunitskaya’s clinch for the best part of 10 minutes she received a pep talk from her cornerman to switch her into beast mode. She proceeded to charge at the Russian like a Rhino as the bell sounded for the third round, drop her with a clean left hand and finish Kunitskaya off with savage ground-and-pound. We wish we saw more attitude like than from fighters down on the scorecards.
Macy Chiasson (7-1) fights for the second time this year after only getting one outing in 2020. She eventually fought Marion Reneau after the veteran pulled out of two fights due to COVID-19 and when they met, Chiasson notched up her second unanimous decision win in a row after outpointing Shanna Young over a year prior. These two wins came after her first loss which was to Lina Lansberg in 2019 and now she is desperate to get a run going.
PREDICTION
The UFC clearly want to give these ladies a push putting them on the co-main, and it is understandable as they are two of the more exciting and promising bantamweights in the division. Neither of them have been as active as they would have liked since joining the UFC and as for Ladd, she has been out recovering from an a terrible knee injury in training tearing her ACL and MCL.
Both have similar styles and are very powerful which should create an exciting fight. They are both strong wrestlers who are aggressive and throw heat. We can expect them both to throw bombing while walking into range and take any opportunity to get the fight to the floor and rain down ground-and-pound.
Do not expect much technique on the feet but if one of them land clean, they are getting dropped. There is not much between them besides Ladd’s experience fighting better competition. Expect reckless exchanges and shared takedowns creating a hard close fight. This can go either way, but we are backing Ladd to edge a decision.
Prediction: Ladd via Decision
Value Bet: Chiasson to win
KYLER PHILLIPS VS RAULIN PAIVA
Kyler Phillips (9-1) is one of many exciting prospects in the bantamweight division and his last performance propelled him towards the top 10. His only loss was in 2018 missing out on a split decision to Victor Henry for California Xtreme Fighting and since then he has improved with every fight. He blasted Gabriel Silva with a head kick for the Legacy Fighting Alliance to earn a UFC debut where he earnt a unanimous decision over Gabriel Silva. He then put on a ‘performance of the night’ dispatching Cameron Else and is now coming off his biggest win earning another unanimous decision over Yadong Song.
Phillips was scheduled to fight veteran Raphael Assuncao but a bicep injury opened the door for Raulin Paiva (20-3) to make his first appearance of the year. He moves up from flyweight to get a fight in, but it could be a good long-term move especially as he missed weight in his last bout. That was against Zhalgas Zhumagulov earning a unanimous decision which made it two in a row after sparking out Mark De La Rosa in February. Those were very important wins for Paiva as he arrived with a lot of hype and 18-1 record but lost his first two UFC fights against Kai Kara-France (split decision) and Rogerio Bontorin (TKO) to unearth a few doubters.
PREDICTION
Despite Paiva moving up to bantamweight, they match up similarly physically both standing at 5’8” with Phillips boasting a three-inch reach advantage. They are both electric strikers and we expect to see an exciting fast-paced scrap on the feet until Phillips decides to mix in a takedown.
Phillips is very well-rounded. He has a solid karate base and is also very tricky on the mat with excellent jiu-jitsu. On paper, Phillips should have the edge in every area. He has the movement, speed, power and grappling to dictate where the fight goes. Paiva is a quality fighter but stepping up to 135 lbs to take on a potential future title contender is another tough task for the Brazilian.
Prediction: Phillips via KO/TKO
DARREN ELKINS VS DARRICK MINNER
Darren Elkins (25-9) just keeps coming back for more. He walks out for his 24th UFC fight and after Alexander Volkanovski snapped his six-fight win streak, he went on to lose three more suffering a four-fight skid. He got TKO’d by Ricardo Lamas and then lost two unanimous decisions to Ryan Hall and Nate Landwehr. It seemed like the writing may be on the wall for the 37-year-old but he returned to fight Luiz Eduardo Garagorri and delivered a classic Elkins performance grinding out seven takedowns and eventually putting Garagorri out of his misery with a rear-naked choke.
Darrick Minner (26-11) is cut from a similar cloth and is a grappling machine. He is a ruthless jiu-jitsu practitioner winning 22 of his 26 wins via submission. He lost his debut getting a taste of his own medicine, but he stepped up on short notice for a very tough fight taking on Grant Dawson who submitted him in the second round. However, he has bounced back with a submission over TJ Laramie and a unanimous decision over Charles Rosa.
PREDICTION
This is good matchmaking as they both rely on their grappling. Elkins is more of a grinder relying on his cardio and durability to wear his opponent down whereas Minner is more aggressive pouncing on any opportunity for a submission.
When it comes to their striking, Minner is also very aggressive swinging wildly to drop his opponent down to the mat. Elkins is more methodical but is not the most technical either and relies on his chin to walk people down and overwhelm them with his pressure.
We can see their grappling cancel each other out for portions of the fight so we are likely to some scrappy stand-up exchanges. There will still be a lot of takedown attempts from both men, and it will be a very close contest. If the fight goes into the third round, you have to back Elkins to finish stronger regardless of how much damage he has absorbed.
Elkins’ submission defence and cardio swing this in his favour and as he is the underdog, he is the value bet, but this is bound to be a close one.
Prediction: Elkins via Decision
Value Bet: Elkins via Decision
MIRANDA MAVERICK VS MAYCEE BARBER
Miranda Maverick (9-2) has quickly put her name on the flyweight map. She proved she was UFC calibre by submitting DeAnna Bennett (2019) and earning a unanimous decision over Pearl Gonzalez (2020) for Invicta. She then made her UFC debut eight months later on Fight Island at UFC 254 and was paired with Liana Jojua making quite the impression. She was looking very sharp before slicing Jojua’s nose open with an elbow forcing a doctor stoppage. She then followed that up with a huge win in March earning a unanimous decision over Gillian Robertson confirming she will be a force to be reckoned with.
Maycee Barber (8-2) was that force a couple years and was touted to be a future title contender. She made her debut in 2018 and steamrolled through Hannah Cifers who was completely undersized and finished with brutal ground-and-pound. She then moved up a division to flyweight and rack up two more super impressive knockouts over JJ Aldrich and Robertson to get everyone talking. However, she was then handed Roxanne Modafferi and was expected to run through her, but the crafty veteran out grappled and embarrassed the prodigy. She was not helped by an ACL injury but returned a year later to fight Alexa Grasso. It was a great fight but she lost another unanimous decision deflating the hype.
PREDICTION
Maverick is only 24 and Barber is only 23. They have their whole futures ahead of them and clearly possess some raw talent so it would have been nice to see them build up their records before meeting each other. That said, we are in for a cracker here.
They are both aggressive southpaws and very well-rounded. Maverick is the more technical striker and grappler, but Barber will have the size and power advantage. The stand-up exchanges will be fascinating with Maverick looking to continually circle, peppering Barber with leg kicks and jabs. If she starts to land, expect Barber to charge Maverick down and explode in the pocket.
The more tentative Barber is, the more likely Maverick will seal the rounds with volume and takedowns. However, if Barber is aggressive, she can easily overwhelm Maverick by closing the distance and enforcing her will. She has been training at Team Alpha Male for this, so we could see her adopt a grappling heavy approach which would be a smart plan.
This is tough to call but we are backing the technique and finesse of Maverick and the ability to execute a better strategy to earn a decision.
Prediction: Maverick via Decision
Value Bet: Barber via Decision
ADRIAN YANEZ VS RANDY COSTA
Adrian Yanez (13-3) has looked absolutely electric in his first two UFC fights. After losing a tight split decision to Miles Johns for the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) back in 2018, he has gone on a tear. He knocked out Warren Stewart and Michael Rodriguez for the Fury Fighting Championship and squeaked past Kyle Estrada (split decision) for LFA to earn a spot on the Contender Series. He TKO’d Brady Huang, finished off Victor Rodriguez with a beautiful head kick on his debut and is coming off another knockout of beauty, burying Gustavo Lopez back in March.
Randy Costa (6-1) has also put on a couple electrifying UFC performances. After ruthlessly knocking out his first four victims, he graced the UFC 236 card to take on Brandon Davis. He received a reality check getting submitted in the second round, but he has bounced back in the perfect way by knocking out Boston Salmon and Journey Newson to keep up his 100% finishing rate.
PREDICTION
We are not sure how this pairing is not on the main card. It is the most exciting match-up barring the main event between Cory Sandhagen and TJ Dillashaw. It will be a fascinating spectacle on the feet for however long it lasts.
All of Costa’s wins have come via first round knockout. So, it will be no surprise to see him burst out of the gate like a bull ready to uncork his blistering power. Not many bet against Costa in a stand-up battle but Yanez is different gravy. He has eight knockouts to his name but is more methodical and graceful with his striking. His fundamental technique and composure contrasts with Costa’s wild looping attacks from range.
Costa is clearly extremely dangerous, but Yanez is his kryptonite as a slick counter striker. Costa has every chance of catching Yanez early with a haymaker or one of his head kicks, but we expect Yanez to matador the heavy artillery and snipe the chin to hand Costa his second loss.
Prediction: Yanez via KO/TKO
PUNAHELE SORIANO VS BRENDAN ALLEN
Punahele Soriano (8-0) heads to the APEX for the first time since his successful audition on the Contender Series back in 2019. He took on Jamie Pickett and won a unanimous decision to earn himself a UFC debut six months later on the UFC 245 card. He made his debut sitting on 6-0 with everything still to prove but his first two UFC fights could not have gone better. He smoked Oskar Piechota in the first round and returned a year later to take on the highly touted Dusko Todorovic but smoked him in the first round as well.
Brendan Allen (16-4) continues to impress in the middleweight division and responded perfectly to his first loss in eight fights back in November last year. He got his UFC career off to a flyer submitting Kevin Holland, knocking out Tom Breese and earning a unanimous decision over Kyle Daukaus. He then met Sean Strickland who snapped the streak with a second round TKO but he bounced back in April this year to submit Karl Roberson with a beautiful ankle lock.
PREDICTION
It is baffling to see this fight on the prelims. They are both top prospects in the middleweight division and very exciting to watch. They are both well-rounded, but they will approach this fight differently.
Soriano has a wrestling background, but he relies on his striking with devastating knockout power. Allen is also a good striker, but his bread and butter is his grappling as a decent wrestler and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Allen will hunt the takedown, but he will have to be cautious as he likes to walk his opponents down before shooting in. He does not have the best striking defence so if he attempts to simply walk into Soriano’s range, he will get lit up.
We feel Allen will either look great or terrible here. We can see him walking onto a huge Soriano bomb early and getting knocked out or he could get his hands on Soriano, drag him to the deck and wrap up a submission. Allen's striking defence is the worry
Prediction: Soriano via KO/TKO
Prediction: Allen via Submission
IAN HEINISCH VS NASSOURDINE IMAVOV
Ian Heinisch (14-4) has lost three of his last four, but he has come up against some absolute studs. He was in the form of his life after winning his first two UFC fights and earning unanimous decisions over Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists – Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Junior to cap off a five-fight win streak which included winning the interim Legacy Fighting Alliance middleweight title. As a reward for his form, he was handed Derek Brunson getting outclassed in a unanimous decision and suffered the same fate against Omari Akhmedov four months later in December 2019. He bounced back with an easy knockout over Gerald Meerschaert but was then paired with Kelvin Gastelum who is simply on a different level losing another unanimous decision.
This is a huge opportunity for Nassourdine Imavov (9-3). He is also coming off a loss but can properly announce himself in the UFC with a win over Heinisch. Imavov was well-known on the European circuit before joining the UFC and was riding a five-fight win streak racking up wins for a variety of promotions. He met Jordan Williams for his debut and earnt an impressive unanimous decision to extend the streak to six. However, he was then handed top prospect, Phil Hawes and although he lost, it was a majority decision and he proved he is a high calibre fighter.
PREDICTION
The UFC clearly think highly of Imavov matching him up with Heinisch in just his third UFC fight and coming off a loss. That is because he has all the tools and is very well-rounded. He does not have the experience of Heinisch, but he does have a four-inch reach and height advantage and he will look to leverage that and snipe from distance.
He has a strong jab and knockout power, but he needs a composed performance and prepare for three rounds as Heinisch is incredibly durable. He got taken down easily by Gastelum but he is a brilliant grappler and showed off tremendous defensive and offence wrestling against Ferreira and Carlos Junior.
We expect Imavov to get to work on the feet and Heinisch will be happy to trade threatening with his overhand right. Heinisch does have the wrestling in his locker which he will be smart to employ. He will not be able to ragdoll or submit Imavov but he will be able to tire him out with constant clinch work against the fence setting up a more comfortable third round.
If Heinish starts wrestling for the bell he can easily grind out a boring decision, but we feel he will have the confidence to stand and trade with Imavov. This is when the Frenchman will showcase his class and if he can bank the first two rounds, he will walk away with a decision. This is is a tough one to call but we are backing Imavov and as he is the underdog, he is well worth a punt.
Prediction: Imavov via Decision
Value Bet: Imavov via Decision
MICKEY GALL VS JORDAN WILLIAMS
Mickey Gall (6-3) heads to the APEX hoping to disprove his limitations. He gained a lot of hype after submitting Sage Northcutt but got found out by Randy Brown (unanimous decision), Diego Sanchez (TKO) and Mike Perry (unanimous decision). He broke up those losses with the fifth rear-naked choke of his career and a unanimous decision over Salim Touahri but that loss to Perry where he got outclassed everywhere proved he still has a long way to go.
Jordan Williams (9-4(1)) has also struggled in his young career, but he has amassed some good experience for a variety of promotions including Bellator where he won both of his fights. He knocked out Brandon Hester and Diego Herzog to get a second shot on the Contender Series but failed the audition losing a split decision to Ramazan Kurmagomedov. He then got a third chance on the series 14 months later and picked up his biggest win knocking out Gregory Rodrigues in the first round. That finally earnt him his debut, but he got paired with a monster, Nassourdine Imavov losing a majority decision.
PREDICTION
Williams drops down to welterweight for this clash but he will still be giving up two inches in reach and one in height. However, that will only aid Gall on the ground as Williams should have the edge on the feet.
That said, Gall’s stand-up is improving, and Williams has very suspect defence. So, Gall may try and get a feel on the feet, but it should be a matter of time before he tries to take the fight to the floor and set up a back-take.
This is good matchmaking as both fighters only have one stand-out win on their records (Gall – Northcutt and Williams – Rodrigues) and whoever wins will save their UFC career. If the fight hits the deck, you have to favour Gall to at least control the fight, but Williams has great takedown defence which could force a stand-up battle.
Expect an even first couple rounds before they both tire to loosen up the fight in the third. If Williams’ weight cut goes smoothly, we are backing him to finish stronger and seal a decision.
Prediction: Williams via Decision
SIJARA EUBANKS VS ELISE REED
Despite Sijara Eubanks (6-6) fighting the majority of her career in the UFC, that mediocre record is surprising. She is very talented which we saw on The Ultimate Fighter and she has four impressive unanimous decisions over Lauren Murphy, Rozanne Modafferi, Sarah Moras and Julia Avila. She has only fought top fighters losing to Katlyn Chookagian and Aspen Ladd before the UFC, Ladd again in her third UFC fight followed by another to Bethe Coreira. She bounced back with the two wins over Moras and Avila but is coming off two more losses to Ketlen Vieira and Pannie Kianzad.
Eubanks was preparing for Priscila Cachoeira but she now faces Cage Fury (CFFC) champion, Elise Reed (4-0) who steps up to make her UFC debut. She made her pro debut in 2019 at Bellator 231 and got off to a flyer finishing Rebecca Bryggman via TKO in the first round. She has fought three times for CFFC and is still yet to taste defeat picking up a split decision over Jasmine Jasudavicius to win the strawweight title and defending it with a more convincing unanimous one over Jillian DeCoursey. She is now coming off her second defence and TKO which was over Hilary Rose back in May.
PREDICTION
All Eubanks’ losses have come via unanimous decisions which raises questions over her cardio and will. However, she is slightly undersized for the bantamweight division and has come up against very powerful grapplers. Skill wise she is right up there as a solid boxer and black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but we have not seen her ground skills and this could be an opportunity to show them off.
Interestingly, she embarks on the tough cut to 125 lbs again and fortunately for her Reed is a strawweight and has fought as low at 105 lbs at atomweight. Eubanks is the clear favourite and with her weight advantage we are firmly backing her.
Reed is a quality striker from a taekwondo background and has a bright future, but it is in strawweight. We expect Eubanks to out muscle her and dictate where the fight goes. Reed could force this to a decision, but it should be a comfortable night for Eubanks over powering her with her grappling.