Cody Garbrandt believes a “money fight” with Sean O’Malley is in his future, and says he’d love to “smack around” the current UFC bantamweight champion.
Now 3-2 in his last five, Garbrandt is riding a two-fight win streak and is looking to continue his momentum after an impressive stoppage over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296.
The idea of a fight between O’Malley and Garbrandt had been bounced around by media and fans alike for years, but the two fighters’ paths could never seem to align. Now, O’Malley is the champion of the bantamweight division and Cody Garbrandt is a big name riding an impressive streak. Even if another fight or two is needed, Garbrandt is chomping at the bit to get his opportunity to shine against “Suga” Sean O’Malley.
Cody Garbrandt talks about his desire for the Sean O’Malley Fight
Speaking to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Garbrandt opened up about his current ambitions, and his desire to regain UFC gold.
“If Sean’s still the champion when it’s my time to punch that ticket again, I would absolutely love that,” Garbrandt told ESPN (H/T Yahoo Sports). “And if he’s not and I’ve got to work my way to Sean if he loses, if he’s ranked – all these rankings are a bunch of bullsh*t to be honest.”
“It just never made sense to me, but that’s beside the point. I think a clash course with Sean is definitely in the near future, a money fight. That’s what it’s all about. What is going to bring the most eyes to these fights. Sean and I have history. I would just love to go and smack him around.”
After his spectacular win over Brian Kelleher, Cody Garbrandt called out former champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who he explained that he viewed as the tougher test.
“I think Deiveson’s far more dangerous than Sean O’Malley,” Garbrandt claimed. “I truly believe that. Sean’s got good skills. He’s got good things, but Deiveson is the next adversary that I want to fight. That’s what I’m focused on. That’s what I want.”
Who do you think would win the fight between Cody Garbrandt and Sean O’Malley?