It's enough to get excited about a UFC championship main event with a title on the line alone, but when the two men squaring off in the Octagon truly can't stand one another, that heightens the anticipation. That's what we'll witness on Saturday night in Los Angeles at UFC 227 when bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw defends his belt against former champ Cody Garbandt.
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Garbrandt and Dillashaw have continued to hold ill will toward each other even after the first fight last November when Garbrandt appeared close to finishing Dillashaw in the first round. The former teammates traded verbal jabs in the Octagon and then outside after the fight when Dillashaw finished Garbrandt by second-round knockout and immediately got in his face when the fallen champ popped back to his feet. Garbrandt claimed this week that he wasn't fully focused or healthy going into the first match at Madison Square Garden.
Now, there can be no excuses as he is one of a handful of fighters to get an immediate rematch after being knocked out in the first bout. In the co-main event is another man getting a shot at redemption with former Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo getting a second chance to face flyweight champion and pound-for-pound great Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson. The two first squared off in 2016 with Johnson winning decisively by first-round knockout, but with a division nearly cleaned out and Cejudo having worked his way back up, it may be time for Johnson's incredible win streak to come to an end.
Let's take a look at the complete fight card with the latest odds from Bovada.
UFC 227 fight card
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight Class |
|---|---|---|
T.J. Dillashaw (c) -120 | Cody Garbrandt -110 | UFC bantamweight title |
Demetrious Johnson (c) -500 | Henry Cejudo +350 | UFC flyweight title |
Renato Moicano -330 | Cub Swanson +265 | Featherweight |
Polyana Viana -160 | JJ Aldrich +130 | Women's strawweight |
Thiago Santos -355 | Kevin Holland +285 | Middleweight |
With a big card on tap, our experts took a crack at picking each of the main card fights. Here are your pick makers: Brian Campbell (combat sports writer), Matthew Coca (producer), Michael Mormile (producer), Jack Jorgensen (editor) and Brandon Wise (editor).
UFC 227 predictions
| Fight | Campbell | Mormile | Coca | Jorgensen | Wise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dillashaw (c) vs. Garbrandt | Dillashaw | Dillashaw | Garbrandt | Dillashaw | Garbrandt |
Johnson (c) vs. Cejudo | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson | Johnson | Cejudo |
| Moicano vs. Swanson | Swanson | Moicano | Moicano | Swanson | Moicano |
| Viana vs. Aldrich | Viana | Viana | Viana | Viana | Viana |
| Santos vs. Holland | Santos | Santos | Santos | Santos | Santos |
| Overall (2018) | 19-20-0 | 21-18-0 | 22-17-0 | 19-20-0 | 24-15-0 |
Campbell on why Dillashaw wins: If a 50/50 fight on paper can be predicted solely on the assumption of one's emotional demeanor, than it might be easier to guess that Garbrandt might be too powerful for Dillashaw if he enters the fight with the same poised, patient and calculated demeanor he once used to disarm Dominick Cruz of the bantamweight title. But Dillashaw, along with being one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the game, seems to have a mental edge of sorts on his heated rival Garbrandt, enough to bring out a more reckless version of him through both mental warfare and his quick style. Dillashaw is arguably more technically sound and dynamic than Garbrandt, which all adds up for the potential of a five-round decision for the defending champion, particularly if he can make Garbrandt press and chase him.
Wise on why Garbrandt wins: Believe the hype. At UFC 217, Garbrandt was as close as it gets to finishing Dillashaw in the first round as the challenger was saved by the bell. He may have gotten a little overconfident after that flurry, but I believe Garbrandt to be the better striker in this matchup. Garbrandt will take a much similar gameplan into this fight that he brought against Dominick Cruz and look to stay patient and pick his spots. We may get another explosive finish like we saw at MSG, but I think Garbrandt gets a decision win and sets up a trilogy fight.
Jorgensen on why Johnson wins: Although it took place over two years ago, Johnson's first victory over Cejudo was so dominant it's near impossible for me to give the latter the benefit of the doubt this time around. I firmly believe that this fight was made simply to pass the time until they can't get the Dillashaw-Mighty Mouse superfight put together, so Johnson likely gets another easy finish in this one over Cejudo. Then it's up to Dillashaw to do his part in the main event.
Wise on why Cejudo wins: The gulf between Mighty Mouse and the rest of the flyweight division over the last six years has been drastic. He's arguably the greatest and smartest fighter to set foot in the cage. But every now and then, champions overlook an opponent. Talk of making a superfight of sorts with the winner of Dillashaw-Garbrandt has flooded Johnson over the last few months and it only takes one punch to catch somebody slipping. Cejudo has grown a lot in the two years since losing dramatically to Johnson. If there was ever a time to catch who many believe to be the pound-for-pound best, the time is now.
