Cody Garbrandt entered his UFC 189 fight with Henry Briones an 11-1 favorite over Tijuana’s Henry Briones.
Briones, a TUF: Latin America 1 cast member, held up better than the odds seemed to indicate. But it still wasn’t enough to get the win, as Garbrandt improved to 7-0 on Saturday night.
Garbrandt, a Team Alpha Male fighter, scored a unanimous decision in their bantamweight fight at UFC 189. The judges’ scores at the MGM Grand Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas were 30-27 across the board.
Briones (16-5-1) tagged Garbrandt a couple times early and got his opponent to respect his power. Much of the first round was a feeling-out process, but Garbrandt turned up the heat late with a takedown, a big elbow, and a series of hammerfists.
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Garbrandt picked up the pace in the second round, landing a big left hand and following with a right uppercut square on the jaw, which dropped Briones to the mat. Briones proved to have a chin, though, and got back to his feet.
Briones went for broke over the final minute of the final round. He landed a couple of shots, but Garbrandt responded for the most memorable back-and-forth standup exchange of the fight.
The fight marked the first time Garbrandt went the distance in an MMA fight. His previous six bouts were knockout wins.