UFC 227 Results: Winners, Scorecards from Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 Card
TJ Dillashaw closed out UFC 227 at Staples Center in Los Angeles in the most exciting way possible. The UFC bantamweight champion defended his belt Saturday with a first-round TKO over longtime rival Cody Garbrandt.
Just like the first fight, it wasn't one for the faint of heart.
No Love came out swinging, looking to score an early knockout and even shaking Dillashaw early with some hooks. However, the champion was there for the counter-opportunities, and it led to an early knockdown:
From there, Garbrandt struggled to stay on his feet, just trying to survive. Dillashaw showcased a keen killer instinct, though. He never gave Garbrandt the space to recover, as he continued to land strikes until the referee was forced to draw an end to the fight.
Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting noted the excitement these two have brought in their two short, but action-packed bouts:
After the bout, Dillashaw was a little more measured in his response about the rivalry he has with his former teammate. Rather than screaming in his opponent's face again, he intimated his desire to move on:
Now that Dillashaw can take on new challenges, there are plenty of options in the bantamweight division. Damon Martin broke a few of them down:
In addition to the bantamweight title fight, Los Angeles witnessed a strong card. Demetrious Johnson's historic title run came to an end, Renato Moicano made a huge statement and Thiago Santos got back to his winning ways.
Here's a complete rundown of the card and a closer look at the main card action.
Main card
- TJ Dillashaw def. Cody Garbrandt via first-round TKO (4:10)
- Henry Cejudo def. Demetrious Johnson via split decision (47-48, 48-47, 47,48)
- Renato Moicano def. Cub Swanson via first-round submission (4:15)
- JJ Aldrich def. Polyana Viana via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
- Thiago Santos def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-26)
Undercard
- Pedro Munhoz def. Brett Johns via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-27)
- Ricky Simon def. Montel Jackson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ricardo Ramos def. Kyung Ho Kang via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Sheymon Moraes def. Matt Sayles via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Alex Perez def. Jose Torres via first-round KO (3:36)
- Zhang Weili def. Danielle Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marlon Vera def. Wuliji Buren via second-round TKO (4:53)
Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo
For the first time ever, the UFC has a flyweight champion whose name is not Demetrious Johnson. Henry Cejudo became the weight class' second champion with a split-decision victory over Mighty Mouse in the night's co-main event.
The two dynamic fighters traded rounds through the first four, with Johnson utilizing a kick-heavy game plan and Cejudo having success with takedowns throughout the fight. Although Johnson was tricky to keep held-down, the judges were obviously impressed with Cejudo's ability to control where the fight took place.
It was an exciting fight throughout and about as evenly matched a fight that can be made in the division. It's likely to be happening again in the near future even if the new champion went right to challenging the 135-pound champion to a fight:
By winning the belt, Cejudo became the first Olympic gold medalist to be a UFC champion.
Renato Moicano vs. Cub Swanson
UFC rankings voters might want to make some room for Renato Moicano in the top five of the featherweight division. The Brazilian locked up a rear-naked choke in the first round against the former WEC star to pick up his fifth win in six UFC fights.
Moicano didn't just show off a good killer instinct to end the fight when given the opportunity; he showcased his ever-improving striking—even knocking Swanson down with a snapping jab.
Moicano's only loss came at the hands of Brian "T-City" Ortega, who was recently set to fight for the championship. After the bout, Moicano called for a rematch against the man who defeated him via guillotine in the third round.
After this bout, it's hard to deny that's a fight that would be fun to watch. Moicano was outstriking T-City leading up to the submission ending, and he's done enough to show he's ready for the challenge again.
JJ Aldrich vs. Polyana Viana
It might not have been the most aesthetically pleasing fight in the world, but JJ Aldrich found a way to get the unanimous-decision win over Polyana Viana.
Submission specialist Polyana Viana came in with high expectations in her second UFC bout, but the 26-year-old showed that her striking isn't yet where it needs to be. Aldrich was able to consistently make the Brazilian pay for lapses in defense on the feet en route to the decision.
UFC Canada provided a great example of Aldrich's effective counterpunching:
The decision win is Alrich's third consecutive in the UFC. With that kind of consistency, it wouldn't be surprising to watch her develop into a ranked strawweight in short order.
Thiago Santos vs. Kevin Holland
Thiago Santos and Kevin Holland opened up the card with a bout that could best be described as delightfully strange. Marreta picked up a decision win, but not before Kevin Holland attempted a flying omoplata and just generally did interesting things.
Phil Mackenzie of Bloody Elbow had a good way of describing Holland's approach:
As fun as it was to watch Holland try wild techniques and talk the whole time, Santos showcased why he's a top-15 middleweight. The Brazilian aggressively pursued the finish throughout the three-round affair with success both in the grappling department and in the striking.
The victory puts Santos back in the win column after his first-round knockout loss to David Branch in his last bout. The matchup may have been a bit too much too soon for Holland, but he introduced himself to the UFC audience in a way that will set him up for future appearances.
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