TJ Dillashaw Closes The Show Once Again, Retains Bantamweight Title Against Cody Garbrandt At UFC 227

No, you weren’t watching a replay of their first fight at UFC 217. 

Cody Garbrandt caught TJ Dillashaw in the first round, Dillashaw survived, Garbrandt got overzealous, Dillashaw made him pay. It sounds familiar, but while it took Dillashaw two rounds to finish Garbrandt last November, it took him just over four minutes to do it on Saturday at UFC 227. 

The referee gave Garbrandt every chance possible to remain in the fight, but Dillashaw would not let him up once he hurt him. If anything, the fight was stopped a bit too late as the challenger looked out on his feet multiple times. 

Garbrandt said he was 100 percent healthy coming into the fight, pointing to a back injury as his downfall in nine months ago. He changed his approach in the rematch, throwing more kicks to cut off the movement of Dillashaw. But the champion stood right in front of him and dared him to throw his best stuff. With TJ potentially wobbled once again, Cody couldn’t help himself. He overextended on his punches, leaving himself open for a counter. As Dillashaw said in the lead up to the fight, “(Cody) is a hot head who wants to throw hard and leave himself open.” 

He left himself open again, allowing the champion to find his chin multiple times before putting his foe away for likely the final time. 

Sporting a mouse under his eye, Dillashaw proclaimed himself as the best bantamweight of all-time following the victory. He also accepted Henry Cejudo‘s challenge of a superfight between the two reigning champions. 

Make sure to check out Fightful’s full coverage of UFC 227 and tune in to the post-fight podcast.