The best and worst from UFC 227
UFC 227 is in the books and although the card wasn’t exactly loaded on paper, for the most part it delivered. Well, at least the top two fights did, as we saw a pretty crazy knockout in the main event and a major – albeit questionable – upset in the co-main event that meant a new champion was crowned in the UFC Flyweight division for the first time since 2012.
It’s doubtful that the majority of this card will be remembered fondly by the time 2018 ends, but as it’s the last UFC show for a few weeks, you can guarantee there’ll be some talking points from it. Here are the best and worst parts from UFC 227.
#1 Best: Dillashaw stakes his claim as an all-time great
The long-awaited rematch between champ TJ Dillashaw and former champ Cody Garbrandt for the UFC Bantamweight title was expected to be a war, but in the end, while it was hugely exciting, it turned out to be far more one-sided than anyone could’ve expected.
Garbrandt threw down hard, but in the end he was simply outgunned by Dillashaw, who was more precise, more accurate and quicker to the punch. Once Garbrandt was dropped for the first time, the fight was clearly never going to end well for him and Dillashaw finished him off in ruthless fashion soon thereafter.
In the aftermath of his victory, the announcers were selling Dillashaw’s credentials as an all-time great at 135lbs and it’s hard to argue against that. Essentially you could argue that with different judges, he wouldn’t have a clean loss on his record since his 2011 knockout at the hands of John Dodson.
Last night was probably his best showing since the first Renan Barao fight in 2014, and there can simply be no doubt that he’s the best 135lbs fighter in the world right now. Defend the title a few more times and that “right now” will probably change to “ever”.