It will take some doing for Cody Garbrandt to earn another shot at the UFC bantamweight title now.
For the second time in a row, TJ Dillashaw stopped fierce rival Garbrandt and cemented his status as the greatest 135lber in the world.
There was much more to the feud between the former teammates than title aspirations as past issues from their time shared at Team Alpha Male provided a compelling storyline for their rivalry.
But Dillashaw proved to be the better man at UFC 217 last November and did the same in the immediate rematch he granted to Garbrandt at UFC 227 on Saturday night.
Just like their original meeting, the rematch was a back-and-forth contest in which both fighters were hurt.
Garbrandt stormed out of the traps and appeared to have rocked Dillashaw but the fight didn't see the second round as the defending champion refused to let 'No Love' recover after a right hand sneaked through.
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A devastating knee seemed to be the finishing shot and referee Herb Dean had seen enough.
"I believe I’m the best of all time at bantamweight," Dillashaw said after winning his fourth consecutive bout.
Having hoped for a super-fight with
now-former longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, Dillashaw welcomed the call-out from the man who had just dethroned 'Mighty Mouse' earlier that night, Henry Cejudo.
"You want that? Let’s bring it, baby," Dillashaw said.
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