Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was hoping to secure title shots in two separate weight classes after the promotion promised him a crack at the flyweight crown. Then came a decision loss to Rob Font at UFC Vegas 27, forcing “No Love” to abandon his quest at 135 pounds.
Downward and upward?
“Flyweight is where I was supposed to go to over a year ago,” Garbrandt told TMZ Sports. “I was supposed to fight Figueiredo but I got COVID and had to pull out. They said I still had the title shot when I came back. They were gonna rematch [Figueiredo and Moreno] but I didn’t want to wait that long, so I took the Rob Font fight. I didn’t want to sit idle for a year, that’s how you kill your career.”
Garbrandt was booked for the UFC 255 pay-per-view (PPV) last November but his title shot was eventually passed down to Brandon Moreno when “No Love” contracted coronavirus. “The Babyface Assassin” battled to a draw against Deiveson Figueiredo, then submitted “Daico” in their UFC 263 rematch.
“November I’ll be ready to go down,” Garbrandt continued. “There’s always gonna be the naysayers but I’m a former world champion, I fought the top guys at 135 pounds. I was in line for the title shot but I got COVID. I’m deserving. 125 is what I wanted to go to I just didn’t want to wait. I’ve been eying 125 for awhile, it’s time to do it. It just makes sense.”
The 30 year-old Garbrandt (12-4) lost four of his last five and has suffered multiple injuries throughout his career, but “No Love” believes most of his recent woes can be attributed to his current weight class. That said, it’s still up to Moreno to accept the fight.
“If Brandon wants to fight, I think he’s a great champion, a great human being,” Garbrandt said. “He’s leveled up a lot in his last few fights. I like him as a person, super happy for the kid. The trajectory and career that he’s had, being cut from the UFC, being the last pick on The Ultimate Fighter to becoming a world champion. I think it’s a great stylistic matchup for myself and I finally get to fight at my natural weight where I think I’ll perform the best.”
We’ll find out in November.