The former UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw, finally made his successful comeback to the octagon after two years. He defeated Cory Sandhagen, a top 5 ranked bantamweight, at UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Dillashaw. It was a tight battle that went all the way to a decision after five rounds of nonstop action.

Cory Sandhagen lost by the narrowest of margins via a split decision. Experts believed it was the takedowns and octagon control from Dillashaw that played a crucial role in assisting his victory. ‘Sandman’ kept going for spinning attacks that helped Dillashaw close the range and wrestle with his opponent.

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping was one of many guys who heavily criticized ‘Sandman’ for his spinning attacks.

‘The Count’ said, “One thing I wanna talk about, though, is the spinning attacks that Sandhagen kept going for. And every time I find myself saying aloud, come on Cory, you don’t wanna do that. He was doing well with the right hand, he was doing well with the attacks with the distance. But he was getting a little carried away. He was getting carried away by the spinning attacks.”

Michael Bisping continued, “When you spin momentarily, you have to turn your back. So you present your back to your opponent every time you spin. And also, on top of that, you can’t see your opponent, so you are at a massive disadvantage. And of course with someone who’s tryna come forward. They are tryna come forward and you are turning your back and looking away from them. It’s kind of Ludacris and it’s a very very silly, foolish thing to do.”   

Cory Sandhagen was the better striker

On the feet, Cory Sandhagen caused more damage than TJ Dillashaw. ‘Sandman’ landed 128 significant strikes as compared to Dillashaw’s 110. One of his strikes busted Dillashaw open near the right eyebrow. Despite that, the former champion scored by taking Sandhagen’s back, cementing octagon control.

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This was possible because ‘Sandman’ was attempting a lot of spinning attacks. In the process, he exposed his back and left himself vulnerable.

The Octagon control played a major factor for the former champion, which ultimately helped him carve his way to glory. Had Cory Sandhagen kept it conventional, he might have bagged a win. Unfortunately, per Bisping, it was these crazy spinning attacks that cost him the match.

Watch this story: Five Times Cory Sandhagen Obliterated His Opponents In The UFC

Share your take on this encounter and Bisping’s take on it in the comment section below.