TJ Dillashaw Emphatically Disposed of Cody Garbrandt With a Brutal First Finish… Now He Looks Set to Take On Henry Cejudo…

Well, that answers that. TJ Dillashaw is STILL the UFC Bantamweight champion of the world. Once again it was a fight that could have gone either way. This was a rematch of one of the most vindictive rivalries in MMA today.

Dillashaw and Garbrandt really don’t like each other. After TJ left Team Alpha Male to train with his coach Duane Ludwig in Colorado, the seven dwarfs fighters he left behind were not happy. This whole ludicrous narrative that he had stabbed them in the back and betrayed them was created.

The first fight didn’t quite answer the question of who was better. Yes, Dillashaw won by KO, but he almost got knocked out himself, being saved by the bell at the end of round 1. This was a chance for him to prove that he is the best bantamweight in the world and an opportunity for Garbrandt to reclaim his belt.

Round One

It all happened in the first round. This rematch was basically like a condensed version of their previous fight. In the beginning, it was all Garbrandt. He came on strong with his heavy hands, staggering each other. However, one major quality separates TJ from No-Love: his fighting brain.

Garbrandt came on too strong and wild. He’s a great athlete, but he doesn’t have the same fighter’s IQ and it cost him this fight. Dillashaw dropped him with a punch. No-Love got back to his feet but was getting continuously tagged with punches.

Visibly shaken, he was backed up against the fence. Dillashaw went to the body, and as Garbandt’s head dropped, he smashed him with a massive knee. Down went the challenger. A bit of ground and pound… AND STILL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH7Me3BZu50

Emphatic

It was an emphatic victory for Dillashaw who now believes that he is the greatest bantamweight of all time. Well, that might be a stretch too far – we’d love to see him fight Dominick Cruz again to see how much he’s really come on. He told Joe Rogan:

“It feels good. As always, man. Like I said, my bang Muay Thai is tight. He caught me good, you know? But there wasn’t a moment I wasn’t there. I expected him to throw more counter right kicks, so I was going to wait. I know what I can do with that right hand.

So I was just going to time and throw my own. And that’s what happened. I am the best bantamweight of all time. That’s it. The best bantamweight of all time. I’m here, right now.”

Great Win

This was a phenomenal win for Dillashaw. He’s stopped Garbrandt twice now, which is fantastic when you consider that there are a lot fewer knockouts in the lower weight divisions. He’s a champion who can put people out. This is what the UFC wants. Now he looks set to fight the new flyweight champion Henry Cejudo. Opportunity awaits.

For Garbrandt this is a massive blow. He’s going to have to step to the back of the line. There are a whole bunch of killers in front of him, like Dominick Cruz, Marlon Moraes, Jimmie Rivera and Raphael Assuncao. It’s going to be tough to get back up there, and he may never get another title shot while Dillashaw is champion.

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