Rob Font lights up Cody Garbrandt with high output striking
Rob Font was close to seven years into his UFC career before the promotion gave him the chance to headline an event. Font made the most of the moment. He put a sound beating on former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt on his way to a unanimous decision in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 27 fight card.
Font, who was on a three-fight winning streak ahead of the ESPN+ streamed fight card, used a tactical game plan on his way to a fourth straight win.
Garbrandt had success in the first two rounds of the contest. He scored three takedowns and racked up nearly three minutes of control time during the first ten minutes of action. The effort Garbrandt used during the opening rounds seemed to sap him of energy by the start of the third stanza. Font then turned up the pressure — and his offense.
Font fought behind a jab for most of the final three rounds. He used his length to keep Garbrandt at bay and backing up. Whenever he found an opening, Font transitioned from single strikes to combinations that targeted the head and body of the ex-champion. Font’s offensive output in the fourth and fifth rounds was 198 strikes, which was 22 more strikes than he attempted during the first 15 minutes.
The Massachusetts-based fighter did not allow his defense to slip during the final 15 minutes either. Font thwarted all four of his opponent’s takedown attempts in the final three rounds and limited Garbrandt to landing 42 significant strikes during the third through fifth rounds. In comparison, Font landed 51 significant strikes in Round 4 and 45 in the final stanza.
Font’s performance put him in the second spot in UFC bantamweight history in significant strikes landed in a single fight with 176 and in the same position in significant striking differential at +113.
The judges gave the fight to Font with scores of 50-45 (x2) and 48-47. With the loss, the former champion, who opened his career with an 11-0 record, fell to 12-4.
UFC Vegas 27 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire fight card streamed on ESPN+.
Below are the final stat totals for the Font vs. Garbrandt matchup.