Cody Garbrandt isn’t interested in throwing down versus Dominick Cruz a second time.
The two met inside the cage in December 2016, when an undefeated (10-0) 25-year-old Garbrandt shocked the world by picking apart Cruz and knocking him down multiple times en route to winning the UFC Bantamweight title.
It was a star-making performance, but Garbrandt was unable to hold onto the belt for long, as he came up short in consecutive fights versus TJ Dillashaw. Generally, “No Love” has struggled since that Cruz fight, but the tide may be turning back around, as Garbrandt went 2-0 in 2023, most recently knocking out Brian Kelleher in the first round.
Cruz has been less active than Garbrandt in the seven years since their first clash, going just 2-2 in that span. However, “The Dominator” does remain ranked inside the Top 10, so a rematch would offer Garbrandt an opportunity to climb back into those ranks at the 38 year old’s expense. Despite that potential to move a few rungs up the ladder, Garbrandt is uninterested, because he feels there’s no way to improve upon his first performance.
“Honestly, that fight doesn’t interest me,” Garbrandt told ESPN (via MMAJunkie). “What else am I supposed to do with the guy? I mean, go in and knock him out this time? That’s the only thing that would go put a statement or top that. It’s so hard to top that performance.”
He continued, “At the end of the day, Deiveson Figueiredo coming to the bantamweight division and having a win over Rob Font, I go knock Deiveson out, and it puts me right back in title contention. That’s what I’m here to do. I don’t want to be a runner-up in this sport. I always want to be at the top. I think that fight stylistically and everything it mounts to puts me back in the top.”
Indeed, Figueiredo is an exciting new name to add to the 135-pound mix. After defeating Rob Font, “Daico” demanded a showdown versus former champion Petr Yan, but “No Mercy” has been booked opposite Song Yadong instead. Since that former champion is busy, perhaps Garbrandt would be a fitting alternative for the Brazilian?
It sure sounds like a firefight to me.