UFC bantamweight star Marlon Vera thinks former division king Cody Garbrandt should seriously ponder retirement following his recent knockout loss at UFC 269.
It has been a really rough last four years for Cody Gabrandt (12-5). Entering 2017, he was unbeaten after 11 fights, and he just defeated division GOAT Dominick Cruz to stand alone as the undisputed best 135-pound fighter in the world. Then it all came crashing down.
Since that win, “No Love” has received exactly that from the competition in losing five of his last six fights, and all but one by knockout. Two weeks ago at UFC 269, he made his debut as a flyweight and there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for a resurgence as he treaded fresh ground in a new division. Yet, the results remained the same and sixth-ranked fighter Kai Kara-France sent Garbrandt home early by way of a first-round knockout.
Marlon Vera explains why Cody Garbrandt should think about retiring
The dangers of brain damage are a very real thing in combat sports, and as Garbrandt’s compiled serious head trauma over the last few years, there are questions about his future not only in the Octagon but in the sport. It was a topic of discussion during a recent episode of popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. As Rogan — an on-air UFC analyst — and his guest, Vera (20-7-1), spoke about Garbrandt’s recent loss and if his brain has reached a point of “accepting” the damage from power punches.
“I was listening to you guys when you were talking about that. But it’s also energy. He’s been getting KO’d many times in a row. His mind probably knows, ‘Oh, if I get touched I’m probably gonna go down.’ And he didn’t see it coming,” Vera said. “Kai Kara-France is a great fighter. So good for him [that] he knocked him out. But when you’ve been finished many times, your mind accepts it. ‘Yea, I’ve been here before, boop, that’s enough.’”
Rogan responded to that with an interesting story told to him by UFC Hall-of-Famer, and former light heavyweight champion, Chuck Liddell when he was in the midst of a similar string of four knockout losses in six fights.
“Chuck Liddell told me later in his career his mind was recognizing he was about to take punishment and his brain would just shut off easier. It’s like your brain knows you’ve been knocked out too many times,” he said.
It was a point that the eighth-ranked “Chito” agreed with. And added that when a fighter hits that point, they should walk away from the sport instead of incurring more damage to a brain that has gotten used to receiving violent trauma in a cage fight.
“Your body knows. That’s why fighters like that, they should walk away. I’m nobody to tell you what you should do, but you probably most likely have to do it,” said Vera.
Vera last competed at UFC 268, beating UFC legend Frankie Edgar with a third-round KO. He has won three of his last four fights in the Octagon.
Do you agree with Vera, that Garbrandt should ponder retirement?
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