The UFC returns to Los Angeles for a night of title rematches at UFC 227. Pitting the same two fighters in the men's flyweight and bantamweight divisions might sound redundant if each didn't offer such an interesting storyline for the matchup.
For Henry Cejudo, the question is whether two additional years of MMA training will bring him up the curve enough to truly challenge the sport's best pound-for-pound fighter, Demetrious Johnson. Cejudo's Olympic wrestling pedigree makes him an interesting matchup if he can survive elsewhere in the cage long enough to utilize it.
Meanwhile, the main event is not a question of "if," but "when." When will either Cody Garbrandt or TJ Dillashaw hurt the other? Which one will first capitalize on a small opening of opportunity? The leather traded in their first matchup resulted in three knockdowns combined. Though Dillashaw was the first to be dropped, he recovered and finished the fight by knockout in the second round. It foreshadows the violence each is capable of, and leaves us wondering which side of the coin will decide the championship on fight night.
Let's look at the betting odds for both title fights, and where the performance metrics contrast. The decisiveness of the outcomes will influence whether a trilogy is in order for either division, or if we could finally get a superfight matchup between the flyweight and bantamweight champions.