5 reasons why Cory Sandhagen will spoil T.J. Dillashaw's UFC return

#2. Cory Sandhagen has massive momentum

Cory Sandhagen knocks out Frankie Edgar at UFC Fight Night 184

While T.J. Dillashaw was away, Cory Sandhagen was busy knocking heads off contenders in the UFC bantamweight division. 'The Sandman' has notched seven wins in his last eight fights, including back-to-back knockouts over a couple of formidable 135-pounders.

On the flipside, Dillashaw crashed and burned in 32 seconds against then-UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Granted, it could be argued that Dillashaw's chin was weakened by the brutal cut to make 125 pounds.

In addition, 35-year-old Dillashaw is nearing the end of his prime. Sandhagen, on the other hand, is at the peak of his powers. Needless to say, returning from a stoppage loss after a two-year layoff against a world-beater like Sandhagen is far from the ideal scenario for Dillashaw.

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#1. Was T.J. Dillashaw relying on EPO?

T.J. Dillashaw after getting defeated by Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81

Fair or not, there's a large shadow of doubt looming over T.J. Dillashaw's career and legacy after his scandalous affair with the banned substance EPO. And he has no one to blame but himself.

For context, EPO is one of the most notorious performance enhancing drugs as it gives the user a tremendous athletic advantage, including increased stamina and faster recovery among many other benefits. Dillashaw tested positive for the substance after his fight with Cejudo.

The former bantamweight champ claimed he only used it to cope with the cruel weight cut to make flyweight. And yes, he's only tested positive once. We can't help but wonder if Dillashaw has benefitted from EPO prior to him getting caught.

The good news for T.J. Dillashaw is that he'll get the opportunity to prove, once and for all, that PEDs have nothing to do with his past success by winning at UFC Vegas 32. The bad news is that it won't be easy against Cory Sandhagen.