Cody Garbrandt is finally making his long rumored drop down to the flyweight division a reality.
The former UFC bantamweight champion has teased the move for quite some time. After starting his career 11-0, including a title-winning performance against Dominick Cruz, Garbrandt lost 3 straight before rebounding with win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250. He was then expected to make his flyweight debut in a title fight against then-champion Deiveson Figueiredo, but a severe case of COVID-19 put an end to those plans. Garbrandt would instead stay at 135, but suffered a decision loss to Rob Font in the main event of UFC Vegas 27 in May.
Now, his official move to 125 is schedule to take place against Kai Kara-France in December. Brett Okamoto initially broke the news on Twitter.
Kara-France is seeded at #7 in the UFC Official Rankings. He made his way to the UFC after appearing on The Ultimate Fighter, and started off 3-0 in the promotion. He is just 2-2 in his last 4, but is coming off a first-round knockout victory over Rogerio Bontorin in March and has picked up performance bonuses in his last 2. Like Garbrandt, he is known for his stand-up prowess, owning 10 victories by way of knockout.
If the fight does stay together, Garbrandt and Kara-France should be a near lock for ‘Fight of the Night’. They both prefer to keep the fight standing, combining for 23 finishes in 34 wins. The fight should provide both men with some understanding of where they stand in the division, with the winner being close to a title opportunity.
The December 11 event does not yet have a name or location. That should be made available once more fights are announced for the card.
Who do you think wins between Cody Garbrandt and Kai Kara-France? Let us know!
Cody Garbrandt kept it brief with his reaction to TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen. In the main event of UFC Vegas 32, Dillashaw made his return to the Octagon. He had been away from action since January 2019 as he was suspended for two years by USADA due to EPO use. In the process, he […]