What Cody Garbrandt accomplished back at UFC 207 in 2016 will go down in the UFC history books as one of the greatest performances from a title challenger that we have ever seen. The 10-0 knockout artist was a significant underdog for good reason against, arguably the greatest 135-pounder of all time, Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt […]
What Cody Garbrandt accomplished back at UFC 207 in 2016 will go down in the UFC history books as one of the greatest performances from a title challenger that we have ever seen. The 10-0 knockout artist was a significant underdog for good reason against, arguably the greatest 135-pounder of all time, Dominick Cruz.
Garbrandt had put together an impressive run of finishes and had a good narrative with Cruz due to the champion’s history with defeating fighters from Team Alpha Male. However, “No Love” was able to beat the champion at his own game, putting on the kind of performance that no one could have expected.
He broke down how he was able to secure the biggest win of his career and make it look easy during a recent appearance on the Jaxxon Podcast.
Garbrandt’s Keys to Beating Dominick Cruz
Garbrandt said that he already knew a lot about Cruz heading into the fight and that removed the need for him to try and pick apart the unorthodox style that “The Dominator” used to stay a step ahead of his opponents at all times.
His incredibly unique footwork, timing and angles was something that the challenger was well prepared for due to several factors.
For a start, he was surrounded by several fighters that had already faced Cruz inside the Octagon and were able to pass what they had learned on to him. Garbrandt also came through the early stages of his career whilst watching Cruz rise through the WEC and into the UFC so he had been studying his game for many years.
Finally, as he stated on the podcast, Garbrandt also believes that his training from a young age helped him to deal with an opponent like the champion who would be constantly moving. This, he states, was the missing piece of the puzzle that so many others didn’t have.
“Like I said, watching him, I knew his rhythm and his footwork, just watching him over and over again and then just my style. For sure, my uncle was there since the beginning so he groomed me for this kind of fights. A lot of movement, staying tight, staying high guard, little angles, moving with him.
That’s one thing, I think a lot of people get in there with Dominick and they’re like, ‘Ah, his footwork, he’s unorthodox, he moves differently,’ and they just kind of like sit there and wait for him to get his rhythm. You got to dance with that guy, you can’t let him do the dance.”
MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards. With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week. In recent days, a […]
MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to the upcoming cards.
With UFC events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.
In recent days, a few notable fights were made official by the UFC or reported by reputable sources. For more information on those matchups, check out the links below:
And for more detailed information on one newly booked fight that may have flown under your radar between July 15 and July 21, scroll down and check out this week’s UFC Matchmaking Bulletin spotlighted fight.
Cody Garbandt vs. Miles Johns – UFC Event TBA (October 12)
Having had his planned surge back toward the bantamweight title picture stalled this year, former champion Cody Garbrandt will look to bounce back this fall.
Garbrandt (14-6) endured a rough patch following his title crowning as an undefeated fighter back in 2016. He subsequently lost five of his next six fights, with his sole victory coming in the form of a violent knockout of Raphael Assunção. After that preceded a loss to Rob Font, “No Love” made an ill-advised and unsuccessful drop to flyweight before returning to 135 pounds and winning form in 2023 with his first run of victories since losing the belt to TJ Dillashaw.
Having been unable to continue the momentum from triumphs over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher when he shared the cage with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 this past April, Garbrandt will be back fighting those outside the divisional rankings when he throws down with Miles Johns (15-2, 1 NC) on October 12. “Chapo” is unbeaten across his last four fights, most recently outpointing Douglas Silva de Andrade at the Apex in June.
This bantamweight bout was first reported by Eurosport Nederland’s Marcel Dorff.
Bantamweight Banger
Former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns on October 12th. He takes on Miles Johns.
Cody Garbrandt is one of the most tatted-up fighters on the UFC roster, but his latest addition has fight…
Cody Garbrandt is one of the most tatted-up fighters on the UFC roster, but his latest addition has fight fans wondering if he lost a bet.
‘No Love’ celebrated his 33rd birthday on July 7 and recently took to his Instagram stories to share a couple of new tattoos, including a rather elaborate one under his right arm. However, it’s the one he got on his face that has every talking.
Garbrandt had a sword permanently inked above his right eyebrow that travels down below his eye. You can see pics of the new ink via the images below:
UFC Fans unload on Cody Garbrandt
It didn’t take long for fight fans to chime in, questioning the former bantamweight champion’s decision.
After dropping five out of six, Garbrant found the win column in back-to-back bouts against Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher. ‘No Love’ came up short of making it three straight, suffering a submission loss to former flyweight titleholder Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 in April.
Alex Pereira’s recent successful defence of his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 has added the Brazilian’s name to the ever-growing list of fighters who have successfully changed weight divisions within the UFC. Today we take a look at some of the most notable examples (along with a few that didn’t fare quite as well). […]
Alex Pereira’s recent successful defence of his light heavyweight title at UFC 303 has added the Brazilian’s name to the ever-growing list of fighters who have successfully changed weight divisions within the UFC. Today we take a look at some of the most notable examples (along with a few that didn’t fare quite as well).
CONOR McGREGOR
The original ‘champ champ’. The first man to simultaneously hold championship belts in two different weight divisions. “The Notorious” signed with the UFC back in 2013 having won both the featherweight and lightweight titles in Cage Warriors and within two-and-a-half years he knocked out Jose Aldo to claim the 145lb belt.
Image: Conor McGregor IG
Less than a year later, he put on perhaps the best display of his career when he beat Eddie Alvarez at the iconic Madison Square Garden to claim the 155lb strap. He has also competed in the welterweight division, fighting Nate Diaz twice and Donald Cerrone. His recent (now postponed) comeback bout against Michael Chandler had been set to take place over five rounds at 170lbs.
DANIEL CORMIER
“DC” enjoyed huge success fighting as a heavyweight prior to signing with the UFC in 2013. He beat Antonio “Big Foot” Silva and Josh Barnett to win the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix in 2012 and began his UFC career with wins over former heavyweight champion Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, before making the decision to move down to 205lbs as his team-mate Cain Velazquez was the heavyweight champion at the time.
Cormier submitted Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in 2015 to claim the vacant light heavyweight title, and three years later he made the decision to move up and challenge then-champion Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. He shocked the world by knocking out Miocic in the first round, although the Cleveland-born firefighter gained his revenge by beating Cormier twice in 2019/2020, retiring him from the sport.
Image: Robert Whittaker Instagram
ROBERT WHITTAKER
“Bobby Knuckles” signed with the UFC back in 2012 off the back of some impressive performances on The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and had mixed results during his time competing in the welterweight division. He won three of his first five fights, but losses to Court McGee and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson convinced Whittaker to test the waters at 185lbs.
What followed was an eight-fight winning streak, wins over the likes of Yoel Romero and “Jacare” Souza and the UFC middleweight title. Whittaker lost the belt to Israel Adesanya in 2022 but is still riding high at 185lbs and finds himself in the title picture once again after his recent knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov.
HENRY CEJUDO
The 2008 Olympic gold medallist won his first four fights inside the Octagon to earn a shot at then-UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson back in 2016. Although Cejudo was knocked out in the first round, he soon worked his way back into title contention with some impressive victories over Wilson Reis and Sergio Pettis.
The rematch was a much closer affair, and “Triple C” ended Johnson’s record-breaking title reign and emerged victorious by way of a contentious split decision. A year later he moved up to 135lbs to challenge Marlon Moraes for the vacant UFC bantamweight title. He finished Moraes and then beat former champion Dominick Cruz in his first title defence in 2020, before relinquishing his belt and announcing his retirement, in what seemed like a power play due to contract issues with the UFC.
3 Fighters Who Moved Down A Weight Division…With Disastrous Results!
T.J. DILLASHAW
T.J. Dillashaw enjoyed two separate runs as UFC bantamweight champion. He shocked the MMA world when he destroyed Renan Barao at UFC 173 to capture the 135lb belt. After losing the title to Dominck Cruz two years later, he regrouped and beat Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker to earn another shot at gold.
He knocked out former team-mate Cody Garbrandt (who had won the belt from Cruz a year earlier), and after finishing “No Love” again in a rematch, made the decision to cut to 125lbs to challenge Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title.
The decision proved disastrous. Dillashaw was knocked out after just 32 seconds, and a couple of months later it was announced he had been suspended for two years by USADA due to testing positive for EPO in the lead-up to the Cejudo fight.
He returned after his suspension ended and beat Cory Sandhagen to earn another shot at the 135lb belt but went into the fight against Aljamain Sterling carrying a serious shoulder injury and was finished easily. He has since walked away from the sport.
CODY GARBRANDT
Cody Garbrandt came into that first bantamweight title fight with T.J. Dillashaw unbeaten at 10-0 and riding high off the back of a career-best performance against Dominick Cruz. The two losses he suffered at the hands of Dillashaw seemed to affect him badly. He was also knocked out by Pedro Munhoz in his next fight, and although he would claim a highlight reel finish over Raphael Assuncao in 2020, a defeat to Rob Font soon afterwards convinced him a change was needed.
Image: Cody Garbrandt Instagram
With no discernible path back into the bantamweight picture, “No Love” decided to make the cut to 125lbs for a fight against Australian flyweight contender Kai Kara-France at UFC 269. Another first-round knockout defeat followed, and Garbrandt stepped away from the spotlight for a much-needed break.
His return to the bantamweight division has been a little less calamitous. Wins over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher, followed by a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 have hinted that perhaps his future lies slightly outside of the title picture for now, but most definitely should be at 135lbs.
DAN HOOKER
“The Hangman” picked up a string of impressive wins in the UFC’s lightweight division between 2017 and 2021, beating the likes of Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, Gilbert Burns and Jim Miller. His record at 155lbs during that five-year spell sits at 8 wins and 4 defeats, but losses against the biggest names in the division such as Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier and Islam Makhachev convinced the Australian to think about a move down to 145lbs.
Image: UFC.com
His featherweight debut against Arnold Allen in London, England ended disastrously. At 6 feet tall, Hooker looked frail and weakened at 145lbs, and Allen destroyed him in little over two minutes. Hooker has since returned to the lightweight division and reeled off victories over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
One thing we know for certain: finding the right weight class is of paramount importance for a fighter. It can be the defining factor between a promising career and a championship legacy in the highly demanding world of the UFC.
Expected to make his return to action later this year in a title defense against rival, Max Holloway, incumbent…
Expected to make his return to action later this year in a title defense against rival, Max Holloway, incumbent undisputed featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria has been told he will fall the same fate as ex-bantamweight star, Cody Garbrandt, by another foe of his, Sean O’Malley.
Topuria, the current undisputed featherweight champion, has been hemming and hawing when he will make his return to action to take on the surging, Holloway in the first defense of his 145lbs crown amid links to a host of dates in the final quarter of this year.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – USA TODAY Sports
First expected to headline a Utah showcase for a UFC 307 against former champion, Holloway, Topuria has quabbled with the Hawaiian on social media this week, claiming he will become the first fighter to KO the fan-favorite ex-gold holder when they eventually share the Octagon.
Furthermore, the Spaniard expressed his interest in featuring at UFC 308 a month later in a trip overseas to Abu Dhabi, in order to compete in a Spanish-friendly timezone, however, the promotion are expected to work on a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev, and Arman Tsarukyan on that card.
Ilia Topuria tipped to suffer huge downfall in UFC comeback
Receiving flak from the likes of arch-rival, Paddy Pimblett, and often-mooted opposition, O’Malley for apparently dragging heels on a fight with Holloway, the latter has claimed Ilia Topuria will suffer a similar fate to the above-mentioned, Garbrandt and drop vicious losses in his first title defenses.
“I tweeted, ‘How the f*ck is Ilia (Topuria) above me in the pound-for-pound? He’s five inches shorter and has less title defenses.’” Sean O’Malley said on his podcast. “Those are just facts, I wasn’t trying to be funny. I got a lot of hate for it. Buddy, I really could give a f*ck less where I’m at on the pound-for-pound.”
“Ilia is going to be the next Cody Garbrandt,” Sean O’Malley explained. “He won his nice little fight, he had his little Dominick Cruz, but he’s about to get pieced up by Max Holloway and then go downhill from there. Not really, I feel like Ilia is one of the most skilled guys in actually in the UFC – but f*ck Ilia.”
Do you agree with Sean O’Malley’s comments on the future of Ilia Topuria?
Cody Garbrandt says he was dealing with a case of vertigo during his fight with former flyweight champion Deiveson…
Cody Garbrandt says he was dealing with a case of vertigo during his fight with former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300.
Kicking off the landmark night of fights, ‘No Love’ returned to the Octagon a winner in back-to-back bouts. Standing in the way of a third-straight win was Figueiredo, who was making just his second appearance at 135 pounds. In the early going, Garbrandt looked fluid on his feet, but once he went to the mat, Figueiredo promptly took over and submitted the former bantamweight titleholder with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
On Tuesday, Garbrandt took to social media to reveal that he began feeling dizzy during the fight, an issue he has been dealing with for over a decade.
“I felt great in my fight until I started to experience vertigo,” Garbrandt wrote in a message on X. “I couldn’t control the spinning once it was to the ground. Hats off to Deiveson and his camp! I ended up going to the hospital where I was still experiencing the vertigo, throwing up until 4 a.m.
“I’ll get this corrected. I’ve dealt with vertigo since 2012. Thank you to the fans that came out to support. It wasn’t my night, but I love doing what I do. I’ll be back in there before the year is up.”
Cody Garbrandt fell to 9-6 under the UFC banner and 2-3 in his last five.
As for Deiveson Figueiredo, the former flyweight staple moved up two spots to No. 6 in the bantamweight rankings. That likely puts ‘Deus da Guerra’ one big win away from a shot at reigning titleholder ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley.
(@BigMarcel24) 
Cody Garbrandt is one of the most tatted-up fighters on the UFC roster, but his latest addition has fight…
Expected to make his return to action later this year in a title defense against rival, Max Holloway, incumbent…
Cody Garbrandt says he was dealing with a case of vertigo during his fight with former flyweight champion Deiveson…
