The UFC is reported to be returning to Los Angeles on August 4th for UFC 227, featuring a UFC Bantamweight Championship rematch between champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champion Cody “No Love” Garbrandt. (Updated)
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that UFC 227 is set to take place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. While the promotion has yet to make any announcements, the UFC is scheduled to host a press conference on Friday in Brooklyn, NY where the bout and event could be announced. At the moment, Dillashaw and Garbrandt have not been announced as participants at the press conference. Garbrandt did however tweet out earlier today that he will be in Brooklyn soon.
See you soon Brooklyn!! ??
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) April 4, 2018
The championship rematch would come 9 months after their previous fight at Madison Square Garden in New York. In their first encounter at UFC 217 on November 4th, 2017, Dillashaw (MMA Record: 15-3) scored a second round knockout victory on Garbrandt (MMA Record: 11-1) in Garbrandt’s’ first title defense to regain the championship. The bout would end up being the first loss of Garbrandt’s professional MMA career.
Dillashaw had previously held the title after defeating Renan Barão at UFC 173 on May 24th, 2014. He would later lose the title to Dominick Cruz on January 17th, 2016 at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz in Boston. Dominick Cruz later lost the title on December 30th, 2016 to Garbrandt at UFC 207 in Las Vegas.
The upcoming bout on August 4th will be another chapter of what has been a bitter rivalry between the two former teammates. The longstanding conflict began in 2015 when former Team Alpha Male member T.J. Dillashaw left the gym to train with former Alpha Male coach Duane Ludwig, who was coaching the newly formed Elevation Fight Team at the time.
Both fighters would become the head coaches of opposing teams on season 25 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2017. Garbrandt would bring Team Alpha Male members such as founder Urijah Faber to help coach his team. Dillashaw would bring in his coach Duane Ludwig and teammate Matt Brown to assist in coaching his team. The two fighters ended up being involved in several verbal and physical altercations with each other during the season. Following the season, both fighters would continue to take shots at each other during various media and podcast appearances leading up to their November 2017 encounter.
The back and forth between the two fighters recently continued amid reports in February of a possible rematch taking place as a replacement main event for UFC 222 on March 3rd. Dillashaw issued a statement to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto stating he was not interested in a rematch with Garbrandt. He also stated that he was focused on taking part in a superfight with UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. The statement would end up sparking another war of words between the two fighters on social media.
Spoke to @TJDillashaw. UFC asked him to accept a rematch against Cody Garbrandt to headline 222. Here’s what he had to say about it. pic.twitter.com/esl4dBRYXe
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 3, 2018
The scheduled rematch will be Dillashaw’s first title defense in his second reign as champion.
UPDATE
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani is now reporting that the rematch between Dillashaw and Garbrandt hasn’t been finalized yet.
Re: Dillashaw x Garbrandt 2, I’m told that fight is the plan but it is not signed yet. Hope is to have it finalized by the presser Friday. First reported by @bokamotoESPN.
As a result, UFC turning its attention to DJ x Cejudo 2 but that isn’t close to finalized at this time.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 5, 2018
Stay tuned to SoCalUncensored.com for news and updates.
