UFC 217 - CODY GARBRANDT VS TJ DILLASHAW
I’m going to start with this by asking everyone, why is this the most over-looked fight of this whole year?
With the past month giving us huge fights like Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather, and Canelo Alvarez vs GGG! It’s no wonder that we’ve forgotten about these two, and I have to admit, I’m ashamed of myself for it.
The UFC Bantamweight division (135lbs) has risen as one of the most exciting divisions in combat sports. Have a look at the top 10 in this division at the moment:
1. Dominick Cruz (Former Champion 22-2)
2. TJ Dillashaw (Former Champion 15-3)
3. Jimmie Rivera (21-1)
4. Raphael Assuncao (25-5)
5. John Linekar (29-8)
With the reigning champion Cody Garbrandt (11-0).
All of these fighters have the potential to win the belt on any given day, but the 2 who have stood out the most the last few years is Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw.
TJ Dillashaw is personally my favourite style as a fighter, the way his footwork and head movement flows reminds me of an MMA version of Vasyl Lomachenko. Except his mixing up wrestling and slick kickboxing into his game, making his opponent have to worry about his switching of stance and strikes from different angles.
Then you have Cody Garbandt, the Mike Tyson of the 135lb division, proving in his career by knocking out 9 of his 11 opponents. Cody has an amateur boxing record of 32-1, and has brought these skills with him into the Octagon, no opponent has been able to find a way to withstand the speed and power in Cody Garbrandt’s hands. Cody has also brought his high school wrestling skills into the cage with him, and when moving to Team Alphamale in Sacramento, they have helped mold him into the perfect MMA fighter, by sharpening his skills and introducing A-grade kickboxing and Jiu Jitsu into his style.
There is so much emotion and animosity going into this fight by both fighters, being former training partners at Team Alphamale, eventually falling out due to TJ leaving the team, and now finally being able to take out their differences with each other in the cage, for the claim of being the best 135lb fighter on the planet
If you’re not excited yet, than you should be ashamed of yourself! Check out their highlights on youtube now and I guarantee they will both be your favourite fighters.
@themmamaester














