UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2

UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 (August 4, 2018)

Crypto.com Arena | Los Angeles, California

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ TJ vs. Cody Garbrandt – for the bantamweight title
Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for the flyweight title
Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson
JJ vs. Polyana Vian
Kevin Holland vs. Thiago “ Marreta

PRELIMINARY CARD (FX, 8 p.m. ET)
Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz
Montel Jackson vs. Ricky Simon
Irena Aldana vs. Bethe Correia
Sheymon Moraes vs. Matt Sayles

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC Fight Pass, 6:15 p.m. ET)
Alex Perez vs. Jose Torres
Kyung ho Kang vs. Ricardo Ramos
Daniella Taylor vs. Weili Zhang Wuliji Buren vs
Marlon Vera

Johnson is taking this one easily; honestly, there isn't anyone in his division who can even touch him right now, whereas if you look at TJ and Cody, I’d say it’s a complete toss-up. As for Swanson, he’s basically staring down a crossroads here. If he drops this fight, that’s three straight losses on his record, and he might as well just hang it up and forget about ever chasing a title again.

I'm not feeling it for TJ or Cody. Honestly, both of them can be pretty grating, though Cody probably takes the cake with that look and attitude he carries. It’s just hard to get behind either one of them. 😁

Honestly, I’m pretty bummed that the Gustafsson vs. Oezdemir fight fell through. That would have been a real scrap.

On the flip side, I’m really hoping Garbrandt steps up and does what he actually needs to do in his first bout. If he pulls it off, I’d love to see Dillashaw move on to face Demetrious next.
It would finally settle the debate once and for all: is DJ truly that elite, or did he just not have any top-tier challengers?

Yeah, putting TJ and MM on the same card definitely wasn't some random coincidence. 😁 There’s been rumors swirling about those two fighting for ages, and honestly, I’d love to see it happen. It’s kind of a bummer to me that this massive TJ vs. Cody matchup is happening right out of the gate; I guess I was hoping they might give Cody one more tune-up fight before jumping straight into the title shot, especially since the top 10 in the bantamweight division is absolutely stacked right now. But hey, it’s pretty obvious that with the UFC, it all comes down to the bottom line—it's all about the money.

I really think TJ vs. Cody is one of those rare fights where if they went at it ten different times, every single bout would be a toss-up, and I genuinely wouldn't have a clue who would come out on top.

I’ve had a massive distaste for Cody and the whole Alpha Male crew ever since that Ultimate Fighter season back when TJ and Cody were coaching. The guy carries himself like some spoiled brat, but if you look closer, that entire rivalry is really just fueled by the messy personal history between TJ and Faber. Honestly, I’m just hoping he gets knocked out again so he finally shuts his mouth.

I’ve gotta say, I can't stand Cody either, but man, you have to respect his game inside the cage.
I’ve always been a fan of Faber, though I suspect he might have gone a bit overboard back then. It seems like TJ really found his groove working with Ludwig, and honestly, I think that partnership is exactly what helped him evolve into the fighter we see today. Still, that whole era was such an incredible spectacle—the drama in that scene was wild (there’s a ton of censoring in this video, especially from the 42-second mark onwards 😁):

I have respect for both fighters, so picking a side is difficult. I've been following their careers since their initial rise in the UFC, and they haven't disappointed yet. That first fight was spectacular; these two are essentially the faces of this division. They possess the kind of talent that builds real stars because, aside from a few outliers, they are truly in a league of their own in the bantamweight class.

That said, I suspect this rivalry isn't quite as intense as the promotion makes it out to be. Cody and TJ share a deep mutual respect; behind the scenes, you'll often see them embracing and talking shop. There is a massive amount of respect there stemming from their past friendship. In my view, this whole "feud" is largely exaggerated just to drum up hype.

The rest of the card looks solid, though if Cejudo fails to deliver once again, I will be profoundly disappointed.

Moicano vs Swanson should be excellent—Cub always shows up ready for war. It feels like a classic early August UFC card, much like we've seen over the last few years. The prelims could perhaps use a bit more punch, but it is what it is.

That opening fight was honestly nothing short of phenomenal, even if it didn't even make it through two full rounds. If we really take a second to look back at how things unfolded, I mean, if that first round had lasted maybe just four or five seconds longer, Cody might have walked away with the win; he actually had him down, and TJ looked totally unsteady, stumbling back toward his corner in total disarray. And then, out of nowhere, we witnessed that absolutely wild turnaround 🙏

I’m also inclined to agree that there’s a massive amount of mutual respect there, because if I recall correctly, that press conference back this spring really set the tone for all the upcoming fights we've been waiting for, including their own matchup. Most importantly, once that presser wrapped up and the audio finally cut out, I caught a glimpse of them still hanging out in the arena, and I saw Cody walk right over to TJ to give him a hug and a pat on the back 👍

The main card matchups look interesting, especially Cody vs TJ.
It’ll also be worth seeing if that shoulder surgery left any lasting impact on DJ.

Moicano vs Swanson could be the perfect little treat to cap things off.

DJ is just fundamentally better than Cejudo in every single aspect of the game. It’s honestly such a damn shame he’s too small to make weight in bantamweight, because this flyweight division he's stuck in feels way too light for him.

Alex Murphy3 said:I also think there is mutual respect there. If I recall correctly, that press conference this past spring set the tone for the upcoming events, including their two fights. Once the press conference wrapped up and the audio cut out, we were still hanging around the arena, and I saw Cody approach TJ for a hug and a pat on the back. 👍

I remember that moment. 🤣It was essentially a silent way of saying, "Good job, man; we really nailed that performance." 😁

The banter between those two was always comedy gold because, let’s be honest, Cody wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. I still remember how TJ would bait him or just verbally dismantle him, and Coby would just hit back with a "that's right" 🤣 as if he actually took pride in it, making himself look pretty foolish in the process.

It was just like that exchange during their first pre-fight press conference:

- Cody: "How many times did I fucking wreck you in training?"
- TJ: "Zero, motherfucker!"
- Cody: "Exactly!"

🤣 🤣 🤣

But man, the way Cruz basically scrambled both of their brains... honestly, the guy is a total master at those kinds of mental games. 😁

Alex Murphy3 said:It was just like that pre-fight presser before their first fight:

- Cody: "How many times did I fuck you up in practice?"
- TJ: "Zero, motherfucker!"
- Cody : "Exactly!"

🤣 🤣 🤣

But the way Cruz played mind games with both of them—the man is a master at that sort of thing.😁

Exactly, that’s precisely what I meant.😂

Yeah, Cruz operates on a different level, both verbally and intellectually. You could see it in how he handled himself when he lost the belt and had to face the press.

I honestly have such a deep appreciation for Cody's fighting style. There is just something about his ability to slip punches, land those sharp counters, and maintain that level of unwavering confidence 🙏
that makes him a joy to watch. I’d even give him a slight edge in this one. Now that he's feeling himself, I expect him to play a bit more tactically and stay cautious, likely keeping his hands a bit higher than usual to avoid any mistakes.

Though, I realize saying this might make me sound a little bit foolish. The truth is, Cruz is essentially a magician when it comes to both of them.

quietorca24 said:I mean, let’s be real here—Cruz is just on an entirely different level when it comes to his verbal game and his actual intellect. You could really see that depth in the way he handled himself after losing the belt; the way he stood there in front of the press was just different, I guess. He carries himself with this composure that you just don't see from most guys, and maybe that's why he's able to process things so much more clearly than others. It was pretty obvious to me that his mental toughness and how he articulates his thoughts puts him in a league of his own.

That was honestly such a masterclass; it was basically the perfect blueprint for how you can actually be legendary even when you're taking a loss. 👍

Ethan Chavez3 I guess what they're saying is...
I’ve gotta say, I am absolutely loving Cody as a fighter lately. There is just something about his style that hits different—the way he pulls off those slick evasions, the timing on his counters, and honestly, that sheer level of confidence he carries into the cage is just something else. It’s pretty infectious to watch. 🙏
I guess I’ll give him a slight edge here. Now that things are heating up, he's definitely going to be looking to bruise that ego a little bit, so he might play it a bit more cautious—probably won't be dropping his hands quite as low as he usually does.

I mean, it’s probably gonna look and sound a little bit stupid, if we're being honest. It definitely will. Honestly, Cruz is basically a wizard when you look at how he handles both of them.

I mean, look, Cody really put on a masterclass against Cruz, and honestly, it was probably the absolute best fight of his entire career. Don't get me wrong, those knockouts he pulled off before were seriously impressive, but that specific performance? That was his magnum opus, his true peak. 🙏 I mean, that little dance he was doing to try and get under Cruz's skin during the fight? Honestly, it was just phenomenal. It was such a move.

I guess I’m just feeling a little bummed out that we're rushing into yet another rematch between TJ and Cody so quickly. It feels like they aren't even giving a second thought to guys like Moraes—or maybe Cruz, honestly, why wouldn't they?—and other fighters who probably deserved a legitimate crack at a title shot. To me, it feels a lot like that whole whirlwind trilogy between Cain and JDS; seeing them fight that frequently probably did some serious damage to their careers since they both started sliding down that downward trajectory almost immediately after. It’s like they just completely beat the life out of one another in those fights, leaving them totally exhausted and physically broken, so by the time the injuries and those unconvincing performances started rolling in, they just weren't the same fighters anymore.

I really wouldn't want to see history repeat itself with TJ and Cody, especially since they both probably have a few more years left where they can hang near the top of the rankings. Honestly, it feels like a massive waste of time to jump straight into a rematch right now when we have so many other high-level fighters on the roster just waiting for their shot. It seems kind of foolish to pass over all that talent just to settle an old score immediately.

Catch the weigh-ins starting around midnight on: