UFC 227 Fight Card: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 PPV Schedule, Odds and Predictions
Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo will find themselves in similar situations to close out UFC 227 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Each will be attempting to beat a man who has knocked him out in a quest to claim UFC gold. Garbrandt will look to unseat former teammate and bitter rival TJ Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. Cejudo takes on Demetrious Johnson three fights removed from a first-round loss to Mighty Mouse for the flyweight belt.
The title doubleheader is the main attraction for the L.A. card, but there are some intriguing fights elsewhere.
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Renato Moicano finds a true test against veteran Cub Swanson. Twenty-six-year-old submission specialist Polyana Viana will get a big pay-per-view opportunity against JJ Aldrich and Thiago Santos welcomes Kevin Holland to the UFC to round out the main card.
Here's a look at the complete schedule for the evening with the latest odds and predictions for some of the biggest fights on the card.
Main Card (10 p.m. ET, PPV)
- TJ Dillashaw (-120) vs. Cody Garbrandt (-110) - UFC Bantamweight Championship
- Demetrious Johnson (-500) vs. Henry Cejudo (+350) - UFC Flyweight Championship
- Cub Swanson (+265) vs. Renato Moicano (-350)
- JJ Aldrich (+115) vs. Polyana Viana (-145)
- Thiago Santos (-360) vs. Kevin Holland (+270)
Preliminary Card (8 p.m. ET, FX)
- Brett Johns (+195) vs. Pedro Munhoz (-250)
- Montel Jackson (-130) vs. Ricky Simon (+100)
- Kyung Ho Kang (+175) vs. Ricardo Ramos (-225)
- Sheymon Moraes (-120) vs. Matt Sayles (-110)
Preliminary Card (6:30 p.m. ET, Fight Pass)
- Jose Torres (+110) vs. Alex Perez (-140)
- Danielle Taylor (+210) vs. Weili Zhang (-270)
- Marlon Vera (-600) vs. Wuliji Buren (+400)
Note: Odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Cody Garbrandt Gets His Revenge
When Garbrandt and Dillashaw met in the Octagon the first time, we were maybe 15 seconds from the fight having a different ending. No Love had Dillashaw rocked with just 10 seconds left in the first round before the bell intervened.
The time between rounds was enough for Dillashaw to shake off the cobwebs and score the knockout in the second frame.
Despite the result, the odds reflect a close matchup between the two bantamweights. It's nearly a pick 'em, and that's a nod to the back-and-forth nature of the first fight.
Stylistically, it's a fascinating fight to predict. Garbrandt has the most stopping power in the division, while Dillashaw is a well-rounded technical machine.
Over the course of a five-round fight, the champion is most likely to win on points. He's defensively more sound and can win in more positions than his opponent.
However, the pace that these two are likely to set means a decision could be out of the equation.
FightMetric recorded a combined 134 total significant strikes in the first fight, which only lasted a round-and-a-half. And that was after an extended feeling-out process.
Another slugfest favors Garbrandt as he's the one with more pure power.
Prediction: Garbrandt via second-round TKO
Demetrious Johnson Gets Pushed
Johnson is typically like a small lion playing with his food to entertain himself. It's kind of ironic for a fighter nicknamed "Mighty Mouse," but that's just the state of affairs in a division it feels like he cleaned out years ago.
Johnson's 11th title defense, against Ray Borg, is a perfect example. Johnson dominated his opponent in every facet and decided to wait until Round 5 to pull off a flying armbar submission, just for the style points.
The only recent contender that the champion hasn't taken his time with was Cejudo. It's actually what makes this an interesting bout.
Johnson gave Cejudo his first professional loss in under three minutes as the Olympic gold medalist struggled to keep up in the clinch and showed off rudimentary striking skills.
Cejudo did, however, find a way to land a takedown in the short time he was in the cage. It showed a glimpse of a man who could ostensibly make things interesting in a grappling-heavy matchup.
Fast forward a little over two years and Cejudo has showcased much-improved striking and a little more confidence on the comeback trail. He'll come into the fight off wins over Wilson Reis (second-round TKO) and Sergio Pettis (unanimous decision).
It's enough to think that we might get the competitive bout that many expected the first time these two squared off. It's hard to pick against a man who has won 13 straight fights, but this could be one of the rare occasions Johnson can't just play around before deciding to end the fight.
Prediction: Johnson via unanimous decision
Renato Moicano Shines in Big Spot Against Cub Swanson
In the loaded featherweight division, it's hard to stay relevant. With one of the deepest stables of contenders weighing in at 145 pounds, even one loss can send a fighter torpedoing down the ladder.
That's why Moicano's matchup with Swanson will go a long way toward telling us what his ceiling is in the division. The 29-year-old Brazilian will have the pay-per-view spotlight against a top-five brawler in Swanson.
Moicano is only ranked No. 10, but it's interesting to think how close he has come to being a title contender.
In July 2017, Moicano fought Brian Ortega at UFC 214. Both fighters were undefeated at the time and Moicano landed more significant strikes than T-City in three rounds (109-65), according to FightMetric. Sprinkle in two takedowns, and he was winning the fight.
If he simply survived for one-and-a-half more minutes, he would have remained undefeated. Instead, Ortega pulled guard and scored a stunning submission victory via guillotine and went on to defeat Swanson and Frankie Edgar en route to a title shot that was postponed but is still likely to happen.
Now, Moicano will have the chance to make his own leap up the rankings on the back of Swanson. He has switched gyms to American Top Team, where he feels he's been pushed to think big.
"That's when I started talking about the belt," Moicano said, per Fernanda Prates of MMAjunkie. "Before, I didn't like that. I was kind of shy. I didn't want to do interviews. And they started saying this to me: 'You need to do this. You need to ask for fights because otherwise you'll be forgotten there. Start changing your game a little.' So I did, and all I can do is thank them because everything they said has been getting good results."
Swanson is a savvy, durable opponent. Getting a finish will be hard, but Moicano is longer and has more tools at his disposal. Expect the American Top Team product to make his case for an eventual rematch with Ortega down the line.
Prediction: Moicano via unanimous decision
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