“Even when we clinched up and I grabbed him [Cody Garbrandt], I definitely could feel that he was the smaller guy”.
Rob Font believes size definetely played a role in his decision win over Cody Garbrandt at UFC Fight Night 188 last Saturday, claiming that ‘No Love’ felt much smaller in the clinch and that the former bantamweight champion should consider a move to flyweight.
“Even when we clinched up and I grabbed him (Cody Garbrandt), I definitely could feel that he was the smaller guy,” Font told Low Kick MMA. “I definitely think he should go to ’25 (125lbs). I think his mind was thinking ’25 before this fight, you know. And he was still talking about trying to get the belt at ’25 in the lead up to this fight. I think in his mind, he’s a 25er, I think he knows that. He should just probably pull the trigger and go down to ’25.“
Garbrandt did tease of a move to flyweight prior to his loss to Font, but with a title shot in mind. The 29-year-old was looking to reclaim the bantamweight throne before moving down in weight to fight the winner of Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 2 for the flyweight strap.
A title shot may no longer be on the cards, but Garbrandt still believes he is destined to become world champion and is determined to return to the UFC stronger than ever.
“A lot of positives come from this,” Garbrandt said following his loss to Font. “Brush it off. Get back with my coaches and teammates and we’re still striving to be the best, to be world champion. Sometimes there’s some adversity that comes along in your dreams and makes you work harder and makes you realise what needs to be done and it makes it that much sweeter when you climb up the mountain.“
“It wasn’t my night, but man I enjoy this. I’ll correct my mistakes and (‘I’m) just really thankful. … I fight my heart out for you guys.“
Garbrandt is currently ranked #5 in the UFC men’s bantamweight rankings but hasn’t won more than two consecutive fights since 2016.