UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 — August 4, 2018, Staples Center, Los Angeles. ~300,000 PPV buys. T.J. Dillashaw retained the UFC Bantamweight Championship, stopping bitter rival and former teammate Cody Garbrandt by TKO (knee and punches) at 4:10 of round one — an exact repeat of his first-round finish at UFC 217. Their rivalry, built on a fractured Team Alpha Male locker room and genuine personal animosity, was the most intense the bantamweight division had seen in years.
The co-main event was historic: Henry Cejudo defeated Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson by split decision to end Johnson’s unprecedented run of 11 consecutive UFC Flyweight Championship defences — a record built across events including UFC 216 and UFC 213. The card also featured Zhang Weili’s UFC debut and a breakout R1 RNC from Renato Moicano. For the preceding card see UFC 226.
Quick Stats
📅 Date: August 4, 2018
📍 Venue: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
📺 Broadcast: Pay-Per-View — ~300,000 buys
🏆 Main Event: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 — UFC Bantamweight Championship
✅ Result: Dillashaw def. Garbrandt via TKO (knee and punches) — R1 4:10
🥇 Champion: T.J. Dillashaw retained the UFC Bantamweight Championship
The Build-Up
Dillashaw and Garbrandt came up together at Team Alpha Male under Urijah Faber. When Dillashaw left the team before UFC 217, it split a locker room and generated genuine animosity that Garbrandt made no attempt to conceal. Garbrandt had won the BW title from Dominick Cruz in December 2016, was undefeated, and was considered one of the sport’s most gifted pure strikers. Dillashaw knocked him out in round two at UFC 217, and the rematch was immediately booked. The co-main was equally loaded: Demetrious Johnson’s 11-defence record had been set at UFC 216, and Henry Cejudo — a 2008 Olympic gold medal wrestler who had already lost to Johnson once — was his challenger.
Main Event — Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2
T.J. Dillashaw (c) vs. Cody Garbrandt — UFC Bantamweight Championship
Garbrandt refused to touch gloves. The opening exchanges were tense and high-quality: Garbrandt landed a sharp left hook that briefly caused a swell near Dillashaw’s eye, the same explosive precision that had made him champion. But his eagerness to end the fight — to close the rivalry definitively — opened the same defensive hole that cost him at UFC 217. Dillashaw landed a knee as Garbrandt charged forward, followed with punches against the fence, and referee Brian Stann stopped the contest at 4:10 of round one. The same finish, the same round, the same chapter closed. Garbrandt was visibly emotional post-fight in a way that underscored how much the rivalry had cost him personally. The second consecutive R1 finish is one of the most dominant rematch performances in bantamweight history.
Co-Main Event — Cejudo vs. Johnson
Henry Cejudo vs. Demetrious Johnson (c) — UFC Flyweight Championship
One of the finest flyweight championship fights in MMA history. Johnson was the supreme technician — moving in and out of range, countering, using footwork to neutralise Cejudo’s wrestling. Cejudo was relentless: he shot for takedowns repeatedly, absorbed strikes to complete them, and used his Olympic wrestling base to control large stretches on the ground. Rounds one through three were closely contested; Johnson won round four on most observers’ cards with striking output; Cejudo won the majority on grappling control. The split (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) was clean by the standards of the scorecards. Cejudo became the first 2008 Olympic gold medalist to win a UFC title. In the post-fight interview he called out Dillashaw for a BW–FW super fight. Johnson was traded to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren shortly after, closing his UFC chapter entirely. His 11-defence record — built through UFC 216 — remains the most in UFC history.
Full Results
Main Card
Dillashaw def. Garbrandt — TKO (knee and punches) | R1 4:10 | BW Championship (Dillashaw retained)
Cejudo def. Johnson — Split Decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) | R5 5:00 | FW Championship (Cejudo NEW champion)
Moicano def. Swanson — Submission (RNC) | R1 4:15 | FW
Aldrich def. Viana — Unanimous Decision | R3 | Women’s SW
Santos def. Holland — Unanimous Decision | R3 | MW
Preliminary Card
Munhoz def. Johns — UD | R3 | BW
Simon def. Jackson — UD | R3 | BW
Perez def. Torres — KO | R1 3:36 | FW
Zhang Weili def. Taylor — UD | R3 | Women’s SW (Zhang’s UFC debut)
Vera def. Buren — TKO | R2 4:53 | BW
Bonuses & Awards
🏅 Fight of the Night ($50,000 to Dillashaw): Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2.
⚡ Performance of the Night ($50,000 each): Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo (both fighters, for the historic five-round war); and Renato Moicano (R1 RNC of Cub Swanson).
Records & Milestones
Henry Cejudo became the first 2008 Olympic gold medalist to win a UFC championship and ended Johnson’s record 11-defence reign. The record had been set at UFC 216, surpassing Anderson Silva’s previous mark. Zhang Weili’s debut win began a UFC run that led to the Women’s Strawweight Championship, making her the first Chinese UFC champion. Dillashaw’s second R1 finish of Garbrandt in the same series is one of the bantamweight division’s most dominant rematch performances. UFC 227 belongs with UFC 225 and UFC 226 as part of the defining summer of 2018.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 227 is the night MMA said goodbye to one of the sport’s greatest pound-for-pound careers. Demetrious Johnson’s 11-defence record may never be broken in the UFC. His subsequent trade to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren felt like one of the most significant roster moves in MMA history. The Dillashaw–Garbrandt saga’s definitive conclusion, Zhang Weili’s debut, and Cejudo’s Olympic-to-UFC title journey make UFC 227 one of the richest single cards in the sport’s bantamweight and flyweight history. For the full mid-2018 context, see UFC 214 and UFC 224.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Dillashaw finish Garbrandt at UFC 227?
Garbrandt landed an early left hook that briefly hurt Dillashaw, then pursued the finish aggressively. As he charged forward, Dillashaw landed a knee and followed with punches against the fence. Referee Brian Stann stopped it at 4:10 of round one — the same round-one finish from UFC 217 repeated exactly.
How many title defences did Demetrious Johnson make?
11 consecutive UFC Flyweight Championship defences between 2012 and 2018 — the most in UFC history. He surpassed Anderson Silva’s previous record at UFC 216. The record remains unbroken as of 2026.
Was UFC 227 Zhang Weili’s UFC debut?
Yes. Zhang defeated Danielle Taylor by UD in her UFC debut. She went on to win the Women’s Strawweight Championship at UFC Fight Night Shenzhen in 2019, becoming the first Chinese UFC champion.
Who received the UFC 227 bonuses?
FOTN: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2 ($50k to Dillashaw). POTN: Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo ($50k each, for the five-round war); and Renato Moicano ($50k for R1 RNC of Cub Swanson).
What happened to Demetrious Johnson after UFC 227?
Johnson was traded to ONE Championship in exchange for Ben Askren. He thrived in ONE, winning the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The trade closed his UFC chapter entirely. See UFC 214 for the wider divisional context of this era.
References
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