Staples Center is going to be lit , as two championship bouts are on the offing for mixed-martial fight fans this weekend. T.J. Dillashaw and Coby Garbrandt gets on a rematch for the bantamweight title, while Demetrious Johnson and Henry Cejudo get entangled once more for a flyweight title match. Before placing your bets, have a glance first at our brief previews of each of the fights in the main card below.
Betting Preview for UFC 227 Featuring T.J. Dillashaw vs Coby Garbrandt and the Other Big Cards on August 4 2018
Where: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles
When: Saturday, August 4, 2018
TV Broadcast: Pay-Per-View (PPV)
T.J Dillashaw (-125) vs Coby Garbrandt (-105)
Bantamweight
t’s Dillashaw’s time to put his bantamweight title on the line against Garbrandt. The last time the two met, Garbrandt (11-1-0) lost the same belt he’s after this Saturday to Dillashaw via a second-round knockout loss. Garbrandt prefers to fight standing up, though, he was outstruck by Dillashaw in the first meeting, 20-18. Although Garbrandt is the more polished striker/boxer in this fight, Dillashaw owns a two-inch reach advantage to keep Garbrandt at bay and honest when going forward. Dillashaw is also viewed as the better ground fighter, averaging 1.73 takedowns compared to just 1.06 by Garbrandt.
Writer’s prediction:
Garbrandt wins the rematch with Dillashaw to help make a trilogy between the two fighter closer to becoming a reality.
Demetrious Johnson (-550) vs Henry Cejudo (+375)
Flyweight
Johnson has defended his flyweight title successfully 12 times. He eyes to extend that incredible streak to 13 fights this weekend against a big underdog in the form of Cejudo. In his last fight, Mighty Mouse submitted Ray Borg in the fifth and final round, though, he really didn’t need to as he’s on his way to a clear decision anyway. Johnson landed 51 more strikes and made five more takedowns than Borg. As for Cejudo (12-2-0), the No. 1 flyweight contender will look to do better in the rematch. Since losing to Johnson via a first-round knockout in April, he has gone 2-1 in three fights, with both wins coming from his last two matches. Cejudo has five wins by knockout.
Writer’s prediction:
Johnson remains as the flyweight champ with another knockout win over Cejudo.
Santos (17-5-0) will look to get back on track this weekend after his four-fight win streak was snapped last April by a knockout loss to David Branch. Santos is a heavy-handed fighter with 12 knockout wins under his belt to go with a lone submission – a rear naked choke. He doesn’t also seem to like dragging fights for long, as he has eight first-round finishes. Holland can make it hard for Santos to land, though, as the American owns a sizeable five0inch reach advantage. Holland (13-3-0), has won all of his last four fights and has seven knockout victories.
Writer’s prediction:
Holland knocks out Holland in the second round.
Polyana Viana (-280) vs. JJ Aldrich (+210)
Women’s Strawweight
Viana (10-1-0) is set to take on Aldrich for her second fight inside the UFC octagon. In her UFC debut, Viana introduced herself to the fans of the MMA outfit by submitting Maia Stevenson in the first round. Overall in her career, Viana has four wins by knockouts and six through submissions. Aldrich (6-2-0) is not as comfortable fighting on the ground as Viana is, so expect the American to force the fight into a striking contest in which she’s more effective. Aldrich has won both of her last two fights, which includes a unanimous decision win over Danielle Taylor in January wherein he rained 54 strikes on her opponent compared to just the 38 she received from Taylor.
Writer’s prediction:
Viana submits Aldrich in the second round.
Cub Swanson (+350) vs. Renato Moicano (-500)
Featherweight
Swanson (25-8-0) has lost both of his last two fights, and the veteran can’t afford to extend that losing skid if he wants to become a title contender again. In his last fight, he fell to Frankie Edgar via a unanimous decision loss in April, which followed a submission defeat at the hands of Brian Ortega in December of last year. A ju-jitsu black-belter, Swanson will look to victimize Moicano on the ground, though, the Brazilian is also a student of jiu-jitsu. Moicano (12-1-1) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Calvin Kattar in April and has five wins by way of submissions.
