5 most intriguing storylines to watch ahead of UFC Vegas 32

UFC Vegas 32 is shaping up to be one of the biggest non-pay-per-view events of the year. There won't be title fights or too many high-profile fighters on the card, but this event is very consequential.

In the main event, T.J. Dillashaw will make his much-anticipated return to action after serving a two-year anti-doping suspension. The former UFC bantamweight champion will begin his quest for absolution against Cory Sandhagen. Sandhagen is on the heels of a spectacular flying knee knockout of Frankie Edgar.

Sandhagen and Dillashaw are two men who know each other very well. As former training partners at the Elevation Fight Team, UFC Vegas 32 certainly won't be the first time they go at each other inside the cage. But this time around, it will be for all the marbles.

Apart from the headlining matchup, there are a number of subplots and fighters to look out for heading into Saturday night's under-the-radar event. Here are five of the most intriguing storylines to watch ahead of this weekend's UFC Vegas 32.

#5. UFC Vegas 32: Dr. Pepper vs. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

UFC Vegas 32: Adrian Yanez vs. Randy Costa [@adrianyanez93 & @randy_costa on Instagram]

You read that right! What started out as a comical debate over junk food will culminate in a bantamweight showdown as Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez collide on the undercard of UFC Vegas 32.

In the UFC's callout era, the most popular way of generating intrigue for a rivalry is to pick a fighter in your division; list down as many insults as you can about said fighter (the more personal, the better); and fire away on Twitter. Don't forget to @ them, of course.

But Costa and Yanez found a refreshing alternative to promoting a fight when they engaged in a light-hearted debate over their favorite snack. Costa is an avid fan of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Yanez, on the other hand, believes that no snack is superior to his beverage of choice, Dr. Pepper.

Of course, it's ridiculous! Those two snacks aren't even in the same category. Nonetheless, the hilarious debate had MMA Twitter buzzing.

But don't let the cordial relationship fool you. Costa and Yanez each have two wins in the UFC and two knockouts apiece. At UFC Vegas 32, we can expect these friendly foes to throw down in an absolute barnburner.

#4. Battle of the rising stars

UFC Vegas 32: Maycee Barber vs Miranda Maverick

Prospects Miranda Maverick and Maycee Barber will square off in an intriguing showdown in the women's flyweight division at UFC Vegas 32. In an unusual instance of UFC matchmaking, the pair of up-and-comers were pitted against each other at this stage of their careers.

Normally, when the UFC have a pair of prospects in their hands, they tend to build them up separately until they reach star status. When both have garnered momentum and acclaim, that's the time to put them on a collision course.

But perhaps the UFC has other plans for Maverick and Barber. It appears that they've lost interest in rehabilitating Barber's career in favor of Maverick, who's rapidly rising among her ranks.

It's a must-win situation for 'The Future' at UFC Vegas 32. She has suffered back-to-back losses in her two most recent fights since going 8-0 at the beginning of her career. Once considered a shoe-in title challenger, Barber is now on the brink of sustaining a third consecutive loss.

Meanwhile, Maverick has won both of her UFC fights and now sits in the 13th spot in the women's flyweight rankings. If she can make it three in a row at UFC Vegas 32, she could find herself in the top ten, and one step closer to contender status.

#3. Will Aspen Ladd return to form at UFC Vegas 32?

Aspen Ladd will return at UFC Vegas 32

Aspen Ladd has been regarded as a top contender for quite some time now. She carried over her five-fight undefeated streak into the UFC and extended it to eight after a hat trick of wins against Lina Lansberg, Tonya Evinger and Sijara Eubanks.

Ladd had her momentum halted after suffering her first career defeat, a knockout loss to Germaine de Randamie. The Folsom, California native quickly bounced back with a TKO win over fellow top contender Yana Kunitskaya in December 2019.

Unfortunately, Ladd had to spend a significant amount of time away from active competition after suffering tears to her ACL and MCL last summer. The 26-year-old revealed that she struggled with recovery, saying she even had to relearn how to walk and punch properly.

Former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Macy Chiasson will welcome Ladd back in her return fight. If Ladd can get past the 10th-ranked bantamweight, not only is she officially back in business, but she could potentially be next in line for a title shot against Amanda Nunes.

#2. Cory Sandhagen could reach a new level of success at UFC Vegas 32

Cory Sandhagen returns at UFC Vegas 32

Fresh off a highlight reel-worthy knockout win over former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, Cory Sandhagen will take part in what is arguably the biggest fight of his career at UFC Vegas 32. The 29-year-old spitfire is set to take on ex-bantamweight kingpin T.J. Dillashaw in a title eliminator.

𝙀 𝙓 𝙋 𝙇 𝙊 𝙎 𝙄 𝙑 𝙀 💥[ @CorySandhagen | #UFCVegas32 | LIVE on @ESPN & @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/lfjTBCACDo

— UFC (@ufc) July 20, 2021

'The Sandman' has been haunting the dreams of his fellow competitors at bantamweight. He's has been collecting spectacular finishes since his arrival to the octagon. Sandhagen has now been triumphant in eight of his last nine outings. A victory over his former training partner will all but guarantee a championship matchup against either Aljamain Sterling or Petr Yan.

Granted, Sandhagen's only loss came against the current champ. But since then, the number two-ranked bantamweight seems to have improved dramatically, as is evident in his two most recent performances.

#1. Will T.J. Dillashaw redeem himself at UFC Vegas 32?

For the first time in 30 months, T.J. Dillashaw will fight at UFC Vegas 32

T.J. Dillashaw has experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows. In 2019, Dillashaw was coming off back-to-back title wins over his blood rival Cody Garbrandt. He was poised to become the third-ever UFC champ-champ when he challenged Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight strap.

However, things didn't go his way as he walked away from UFC Fight Night 143 with an embarrassing TKO loss instead of a second belt.

Ahead of their #UFCVegas32 fight, Cory Sandhagen summed up his thoughts on TJ Dillashaw's past EPO use with one word.(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/jODRVFYz3a

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 19, 2021

What's even more embarrassing, however, was Dillashaw's positive test for the banned substance EPO. Following Dillashaw's failed drug test, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) sentenced him to a two-year ban. Subsequently, the UFC had to strip him of his title.

Despite only getting popped for PEDs once, there's now a cloud of suspicion hovering around Dillashaw's legacy. Are Dillashaw's accomplishments legitimate? Was he using PEDs way before the Cejudo fight? These are the questions that have marred Dillashaw's career achievements.

But if the 35-year-old can overcome ring rust and defeat a world-beater like Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32, he could prove that his EPO incident was just a dark chapter in his career and not the entire story.