Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is looking to showcase a new version of “No Love” later tonight (Sat., May 22, 2021) at UFC Vegas 27 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he takes on surging contender Rob Font in the main event.
Garbrandt, who is coming off a blistering one-punch knockout finish over Raphael Assuncao back in June 2020, is entering his first main event spot since a title fight loss to T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 227. It’s a massive opportunity for “No Love” to continue his climb back up the 135-pound ladder and another chance to prove he’s still a championship-caliber fighter.
Luckily, Font is a game opponent and should give Garbrandt more than enough chances to land his punches and do what he does best. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to see the same old “No Love” when the cage door shuts at UFC Vegas 27. Instead, Garbrandt is hoping to show a new version of himself against Font. One that nobody has even seen before.
Cody Garbrandt says to expect a new version of “No Love” at #UFCVegas27
(via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/ULRe4920E4
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 20, 2021
“This ain’t the Cody Garbrandt that he’s seen,” said Garbrandt (via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto). “This is gonna be a different one. I don’t think anybody’s seen this, not even the Dominick Cruz fight. I’m just excited to go out there and perform. I got respect for the guy and his camp and s—t like that, but I’m taking him out.”
Despite posting a 1-3 record over his last four Octagon appearances Garbrandt remains one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster today, especially when you dial it down to the smaller weight classes. It’s not going to take much for him to fight his way back into a bantamweight title shot and his resurgence continues this weekend against Font.
All of that said, Font is good enough to give “No Love” problems from the opening bell and prevent him from ever displaying his new skill set. Font is 4-1 in his last five UFC fights and is coming off a beautiful TKO finish over Marlon Moraes in Dec. 2020. He’s as legit as they come.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 27 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.