‘No Love’ has a new opponent for the upcoming pay-per-view event.
The UFC has found a new opponent for Cody Garbrandt.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN reported on Friday that the former UFC bantamweight champion and Trevin Giles are expected to share the Octagon at UFC 285 next month. The report came after Garbrandt lost his original opponent — Julio Arce — due to an injury, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland.
Following a stint at flyweight in his most recent appearance, Garbrandt announced a return to bantamweight. ‘No Love’ was paired against Rani Yahya for UFC Vegas 58 in July, but the latter was forced to withdraw after suffering a neck injury. The promotion kept the fight intact, scheduling it for UFC Vegas 61 in October. This time, both men sustained injuries, so the fight was canceled.
In terms of competition, Garbrant has lost five of his past six fights.
After his ‘Performance of the Night’ award win over Timur Valiev was overturned, Jones has one win under the UFC banner. ‘5 Star’ finished Mario Bautista by second-round TKO at UFC 259, but fell short against Saidyokub Kakhramonov, Javid Basharat and Raoni Barcelos in his next three appearances.
UFC 285 goes down on Saturday, March 4, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Headlining is a heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the pay-per-view event as they become available in the coming weeks.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)