Dillashaw KOs Garbrandt in first round to retain bantamweight title

The main event of UFC 227 featured a bantamweight title rematch between TJ Dillashaw and Cody Gabrandt. The two originally fought in November of 2017 at UFC 217 in which Dillashaw finished Gabrandt by TKO in the second round after himself being almost finished in the first round. The first fight was marked by bad blood, sh*t talk, and a barn burner of a fight. The rematch did not disappoint:

The rematch between T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt lived up to its promise of being every bit of exciting as the first.

But this time around, the bout didn’t get out of the first round. Dillashaw, who knocked out Garbrandt in the second round of their first match at Madison Square Garden last November, got the job done in the opening frame of their second encounter Saturday night

Dillashaw got the best of Garbrandt after 4:10 of wild action at Staples Center and retained his UFC bantamweight title via TKO.

source: mmafighting.com

Play-By-Play

Round 1 – Garbrandt pressing early as Dillashaw circles and fires a leg kick. Garbrandt high kick blocked. Another one gets through to the body. Dillashaw kick whiffs. Champ changing levels, ducking his head. Garbrandt blocks a high kick and comes in with a punch combo. Dillashaw nearly connects with overhand, and they reset. They trade in close, and a body kick slaps Garbrandt, who spins and misses on punch. Front kick from Dillashaw, and they both connect with hooks. They may have both hurt each other. Dillashaw ducks into a kick. Garbrandt points to the octagon and fires off a high kick. Dillashaw to the leg. Front kick slip and Garbrandt gets clipped by a right hook and goes to the mat. Garbrandt grabs the hand as Dillashaw keeps at his back and punches away with rights. Garbrandt teeters back, and Dillashaw closes in. The first attempt doesn’t put him away, and Garbrandt fires back. Big hook connects for Dillashaw. Garbrandt eats a right hand and then another one, dropping him again. Dillashaw pounding on him with punches and chambers a knee. It connects cleanly, and a subsequent flurry forces Dean to intervene. Another knockout win.

source: mmajunkie.com

Official Result: TJ Dillashaw defeated Cody Garbrandt by TKO (Strikes, Round 1)

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