UFC 227 results: TJ Dillashaw beats Cody Garbrandt to retain title as Demetrious Johnson suffers shock Henry Cejudo loss
One of the biggest rivalries the UFC has ever seen came to a conclusion as Dillashaw reigned supreme, while Johbnson’s dominance of the flyweight division was ended by Henry Cejudo
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The UFC returned to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the first time since April 2015 for UFC 227 with a fight card headlined by a bantamweight title match between champion TJ Dillashaw and his bitter rival Cody Garbrandt.
Dillashaw and Garbrandt went toe-to-toe for the second time in nine months with Garbrandt looking to reclaim the title that he lost to Dillashaw back at UFC 217 last November. The pre-fight build-up contained only a fraction of the back and forth heated verbal exchanges this time around, but come fight night the personal tension between the pair was still abundantly apparent.
Pride, money and a world title were on the line as they entered the Octagon in the Staples Center and the air was thick with anticipation as ring announcer Bruce Buffer presented both men to the crowd and they refused to touch gloves for the second fight running.
The opening exchanges saw both men look to close the distance fast and land big power shots and it was Garbrandt who landed the first significant strike as Dillashaw walked onto a left hand. Garbrandt then dropped Dillashaw with a left hand, but the champion rose quickly and responded with his own counter right hook to send Garbrandt to the mat. Dillashaw then looked to finish the fight but Garbrant rose and the two began exchanging again wildly at close quarters.
Garbrandt then looked for a takedown but Dillashaw ducked under it and landed two more big counter rights to send Garbrandt back down to the mat. The champion then pushed Garbrandt up against the cage and finished the fight after unloading a combination that included hooks and a knee to rock Garbrandt badly and force referee Herb Dean to end the fight.
It was an incredible performance from Dillashaw who was then announced the winner via TKO at four minutes and 10 seconds of the first round. After scoring a second win over his long-term rival, it appears the book is now closed on the feud between Dillashaw and Garbrandt.
Cejudo edges Johnson in flyweight title fight thriller
In the co-main event of the evening, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson looked to record his twelfth straight title defence when he took Henry Cejudo for the second time in his career.
Back in April 2016, Johnson defeated Cejudo via first-round TKO in a totally dominant performance at UFC 197 in Las Vegas. Cejudo then went on a winning run to put himself back in the title mix and challenge Johnson for the title once again on Saturday night, but few gave him any chance of winning given what happened in the first fight.
The opening four minutes saw both men use their footwork to bounce in and out range and whip in kicks to the lower legs of their opponent to quickly get a feel for the distance. The fight sprung into life in the last minute of the round when Cejudo caught a leg kick from the champion and then fired in a nice hook that put Johnson on the back foot looking to regain his composure.
The lightening fire exchanges continued into round two as they exchanged big single shot counters and kicks. A big moment then came when Cejudo was successful taking Johnson down for a period of time and controlling him on the mat until the time expired in the round.
Johnson then looked to turn up the pace in round three and put Cejudo on the back foot. The two exchanged a pair of nice counter hooks as they bounced in the range, but a crazy wrestling exchange and scramble brought the crowd to their feet as Cejudo once again looked to take the fight to the ground, only for Johnson to spring back up within seconds.
Cejudo, who was fighting the championship rounds for the first time in his career, opened the fourth round well and landed a huge right hand to send the champion stumbling back. Johnson returned fire though with his own right and sent Cejudo's head flying back as the crowd collectively gasped. Johnson's constant leg kicks were racking up his strike count as the fight progressed, but the kicks didn't seem to be affecting Cejudo much and he landed another takedown and proceeded to control Johnson on the mat for the majority of the final two minutes.
The fight was totally in the balance as the final round began and both men started with a little more caution with everything seemingly on the line in the final five minutes. Cejudo landed a pair of nice left hands to dip the knees of Johnson, but the champion returned fire with another clipping left counter to stop Cejudo in his tracks. The challenger then pressed for a takedown against the cage with 90-seconds remaining and he had brief success with a trip that put Johnson on his back for a matter of seconds.
The final minute played out with both men looking to land single shots and they traded in close quarters with Cejudo landing a knee to the midsection and a left hand to send Johnson on his bike to get out of range. The fight ended with the crowd on their feet as the judge's scorecards were gathered.
Buffer then announced Cejudo the winner via split decision with the scores 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47. The Staples Centre erupted in joy as Cejudo thanked the crowd for believing in him.
A trilogy between the pair could be on the cards later this year, but Cejudo turned his attention to getting a second world title and proceeded to call out the winner of the main event for a showdown at 135-pounds.
Johns suffers second career defeat
Welshman Brett Johns was also in action on the preliminary card and he put on a brave performance to go all three rounds with the No 9 ranked Pedro Munhoz. The Brazilian took control of the fight in the second round when he began to attack Johns' body and landed a stiff front kick that saw Johns hit the mat. The Welshman managed to recover and get back to his feet, but Munhoz switched up his attack to the Johns' lead leg and had similar success causing major damage.
Johns did well staying in the fight and landing his left hook when they traded at close quarters, but Munhoz landed often and with power to both the body and legs of the Welshman who only stayed in the fight for the duration due to his bravery and determination.
After 15 minutes of dominance from the Brazilian, the judges correctly awarded him the unanimous decision as the valiant Johns was led to the back with the assistance of his team. The result didn't go the way of the Welshman, but he no doubt won the respect of fight fans around the world given his display in the Octagon.
UFC 228 Full Results
TJ Dillashaw def. Cody Garbrandt via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:10 – to defend the UFC bantamweight title
Henry Cejudo def. Demetrious Johnson via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) – to win the UFC flyweight title
Renato Moicano def. Cub Swanson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:15
J.J. Aldrich def. Polyana Viana via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-27)
Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-26)
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 (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Sheymon Moraes def. Matt Sayles via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alex Perez def. Jose Torres via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:36
Weili Zhang def. Danielle Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marlon Vera def. Wuliji Buren via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:53
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