5 Things that happened at UFC 227: Dillashaw vs Garbrandt 2

UFC 217: Garbrandt v Dillashaw
UFC 217: Garbrandt v Dillashaw

UFC 227 finally saw the super fight between former friends, and now rivals, Cody Garbrandt and T. J. Dillashaw. The two had squared off once before when Cody Garbrandt had defended his UFC Bantamweight Championship against T. J. Dillashaw. On that occasion, Dillashaw had emerged as the clear victor, and after a rough first round, had come out throwing kicks in the second round. One of those kicks had connected, sending the champion to the floor, where T. J. had finished him off.

The fight was notable as T. J. Dillashaw had shown his ability to master different fight styles and switch between them during fights to throw his opponent off-balance.

However, Garbrandt had refused to admit defeat and had continued to hound Dillashaw for a rematch. The Champ had been in no mood to face him again and had taken time off to focus on recovering from his injuries. He had wanted a fight with 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson instead, but an injury to D. J. meant he was left with no opponent. So, finally, it was decided that he would face Garbrandt almost nine months after their first fight.

In the other major fights of the night, Thiago Santos faced off against the newcomer, Kevin 'Big Mouth' Holland, and Polyana Viana faced JJ Aldrich.

Cub Swanson and Renato Moicano faced each other in another bout, while 'Mighty Mouse' Demetrious Johnson actually featured on the same card as his prospective opponent, Dillashaw.


#5 Kevin Holland's Ground Game:

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2
UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2

Kevin Holland has been given the moniker of 'Big Mouth' by his boss, Dana White. White talked fondly of Holand in a recent interview, saying the star had won him over during his fight with Thiago Santos.

White admitted to Holland not having convinced him of being a capable fighter despite winning Dana White's Contender Series earlier in the year.

However, in this bout, the newcomer to the UFC faced off against the Knockout Artist, Thiago Santos. Santos was infamous in the Octagon, and no one had been willing to take him on; no one, except Kevin Holland.

Holland proved to White and everyone else present in the audience that he had what it takes. Preparing for the fight in less than two weeks, he lost the bout, but it was more than that.

He displayed incredible acumen on the ground and got out of sticky situations a number of times. But more than that was the full mount and the blows he landed on Santos.

Unfortunately, he did lose the bout at the end of the day with the judges awarding the fight to Santos by unanimous decision. His ability to last in the Octagon, however, still needs to be improved vastly as he was winded by the third round.

#4 The Clinch:

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2
UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2

In the second fight of the main card, Aldrich and Polyana Viana mixed it up in a good fight. Viana showed off her speed in the Octagon, but it was Aldrich who surprised the fans. She had to drop weight to prepare herself for the fight, but her methodology was not her usual style at all.

Aldrich clinched on Viana, surprising her and the fans alike, getting in clean shots every now and then, refusing to let the hold go. In the end, the clinch and the fact that Viana kept her chin up for anyone to see meant the match went to Aldrich. She caught Viana with a lot of clean shots to the chin.

#3 Moicano schools Swanson:

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2
UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2

It is very rare to see Cub Swanson as the underdog in any fight, but that was the exact case going into this bout. Soon the audience realised why.

Despite the extraordinary prowess and ability that Swanson has, he never stood a chance against Moicano. Moicano grabbed every opening that he could, taking Swanson down to the ground with a vicious strike to the face.

Moicano then continued to control the fight, keeping Swanson pinned to the ground.

When Swanson finally did try to get up, he was locked in a Rear Naked Choke and tapped out.

#2 The End of an Era:

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2
UFC 227 Cejudo vs Johnson

Since the time the UFC Flightweight Championship was inaugurated back in 2012, it has been held by only one person; that is, until UFC 227.

Demetrious Johnson is no longer the only person to have held the UFC Flyweight Title, with the honour now being shared by his opponent from the 4th of August, Henry Cejudo.

After defending his title a record 11 times, Johnson finally lost it to Henry Cejudo, who showed the world that he had what it takes. The two battled back and forth for the longest time before Cejudo used his skills on the ground to gain points on Johnson. He kept him pinned to the matt, and while he took some big blows, he returned the favour.

The two winded fighters gave it their all, in the last few seconds of the fifth round, holding nothing back, and not even bothering to defend themselves, as they rained blows on each other.

Cejudo won the title, and now Johnson will have to get used to the idea of no longer holding the title he had for over six years.

#1 The Repeat:

UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2
UFC 227 Dillashaw v Garbrandt 2

For months on end, Cody Garbrandt had insisted that the result of their last bout had been a one-time fluke, and nothing more. From the moment he was defeated in November of last year, Garbrandt had been asking for a rematch, while Dillashaw refused to hand him the opportunity.

The situation changed fast once they got the bout. It looked like Dillashaw was underestimating and underrating Cody, as he mocked and taunted him in the build-up to the fight.

When the two entered the Octagon, things changed, and they changed fast. Dillashaw showed that the first result had not been any sort of fluke, as he pressed his advantage. He knocked down Garbrandt with amazing strike combinations, and just like that the rematch and 'redemption' was over in the very first round.

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Edited by Pratyay Ghosh