Retired mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Urijah Faber competed for the final time at UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson last month. Faber walked out to “California Love” one last time at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. “The California Kid” defeated Brad Pickett by unanimous decision and walked off into the sunset.
The only thing that could make his retirement sweeter was if his Team Alpha Male training partner Cody Garbrandt could win the bantamweight title from the camp’s rival Dominick Cruz. That’s exactly what happened at UFC 207 as “No Love” had a stellar performance to take the gold.
Following Garbrandt’s win, Faber spoke to MMAWeekly.com. He had high praise for “No Love’s” performance and he said he knew it would happen due to his intensity in the gym.
“Cody is a guy that hurts people on accident [in the gym] because he’s such a precision guy, he’s got so many natural talents so we had to get ponied up, geared up.”
One aspect of Garbrandt’s game that Faber wouldn’t discuss in public was his boxing. “The California Kid” said “No Love” grew into that style of fighting.
“Cody has grown up with an understanding of the sweet science since before he was a pre-teen. He understands about judgement, spacing and footwork and things like that. It’s second nature, it’s his instinct. I can stand right there and throw a punch and if it’s not gonna hit him, he knows it’s not gonna hit him. He doesn’t move. That’s something that you have to learn.”
The stand-up is one part of Garbrandt’s game. Faber also acknowledged his strong wrestling base.
“On top of that, he’s a high level wrestler. His pedigree of wrestling is extremely high and then he’s with the best team in the world, the right energy, the right motivation and he’s having fun. That’s a recipe for success and he’s gonna be a long-time champ.”
Faber doesn’t believe Garbrandt will get complacent now that he’s a title holder. He feels this is just the beginning for “No Love.”
“What are you celebrating? Do you want to be a world champ? Sure, he doesn’t want to just be a world champ though. He wants to be the greatest of all time. There’s a difference. We’re gonna celebrate a little, but now it’s time to defend. It’s time to do what he’s destined to do and that is become the greatest.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td1UkcWxcJY
Retired mixed martial arts (MMA) icon Urijah Faber competed for the final time at UFC on FOX: VanZant vs. Waterson last month. Faber walked out to “California Love” one last time at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. “The California Kid” defeated Brad Pickett by unanimous decision and walked off into the sunset.
The only thing that could make his retirement sweeter was if his Team Alpha Male training partner Cody Garbrandt could win the bantamweight title from the camp’s rival Dominick Cruz. That’s exactly what happened at UFC 207 as “No Love” had a stellar performance to take the gold.
Following Garbrandt’s win, Faber spoke to MMAWeekly.com. He had high praise for “No Love’s” performance and he said he knew it would happen due to his intensity in the gym.
“Cody is a guy that hurts people on accident [in the gym] because he’s such a precision guy, he’s got so many natural talents so we had to get ponied up, geared up.”
One aspect of Garbrandt’s game that Faber wouldn’t discuss in public was his boxing. “The California Kid” said “No Love” grew into that style of fighting.
“Cody has grown up with an understanding of the sweet science since before he was a pre-teen. He understands about judgement, spacing and footwork and things like that. It’s second nature, it’s his instinct. I can stand right there and throw a punch and if it’s not gonna hit him, he knows it’s not gonna hit him. He doesn’t move. That’s something that you have to learn.”
The stand-up is one part of Garbrandt’s game. Faber also acknowledged his strong wrestling base.
“On top of that, he’s a high level wrestler. His pedigree of wrestling is extremely high and then he’s with the best team in the world, the right energy, the right motivation and he’s having fun. That’s a recipe for success and he’s gonna be a long-time champ.”
Faber doesn’t believe Garbrandt will get complacent now that he’s a title holder. He feels this is just the beginning for “No Love.”
“What are you celebrating? Do you want to be a world champ? Sure, he doesn’t want to just be a world champ though. He wants to be the greatest of all time. There’s a difference. We’re gonna celebrate a little, but now it’s time to defend. It’s time to do what he’s destined to do and that is become the greatest.”
According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0uMQu25ZM
Garbrandt is looking towards Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo for “big fights” over a defence of his new title.
According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec0uMQu25ZM
Garbrandt is looking towards Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo for “big fights” over a defence of his new title.
According to Garbrandt, however, this is not the case.
Appearing on The MMA Hour on Monday, the Sacramento based fighter confirmed to Ariel Helwani that his interests are in the champions of the 145 & 155lb classes, currently occupied by no other than Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, respectively:
“I need to sit down with Dana [White] and Sean [Shelby] and find out the biggest money fight for me,” said the 25-year-old. “I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo: he has wins over my teammates. He is a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard and I’m just getting started.”
“I could also have the biggest fight with Conor [McGregor]. I could easily go up. My homie Nate Diaz choked him out, and I can’t believe he’s pound-for-pound No. 2 on the list, with, you know he got choked out.”
“I want the biggest money fight for me right now.”
Friday night’s victory over the champion was certainly a huge step towards UFC stardom; Garbrandt made it look so simple, which was a feat considering he was expected by many to be schooled by Cruz. The fighter who is now 11-0 in MMA is certain he could mix it with Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo:
“There’s a lot of fights for me in the division, in the UFC division,” he said. “I am young enough to go up, and I’ll fight anybody. But to be honest, I truly believe that I’m ready to fight and I believe that I go out there and put on a performance. And I’m a draw. I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think that I saw Jose Aldo say that he’d like to fight me, I’d like to test his chin. Like I said, he’s got wins over my teammates and I want to get every one of those back”.
“And you know, Conor [McGregor], too. He knows that I’d go up to 150 and catchweight with him. Jose Aldo I’ll go up to 45. But yeah. I’m excited for the potential match-ups for me. I feel like I’m one of the biggest draws. I’m the biggest draw for Conor in the division, you know what I mean? I’m a rising star. Jose Aldo needs a fight. I think that he went out there and said that he’d like to fight me too.”
When asked about his next fight, the new king of the bantamweight division is looking towards a return to the octagon this summer:
“I think so, say June maybe, before summer,” he said. “Yeah, I think that would be a great time to come back and give somebody an ass-whooping. But yeah, me and Conor McGregor had the beef on The Ultimate Fighter. I mean, have nothing against the guy as far as a fighter. It’s a business to me. But I’ll tell you what, somebody puts their hands on me and I didn’t do shit about it, I’d be wanting to get them back each time. That’s for sure.”
Watch Garbrandt and McGregor lock horns in The Ultimate Fighter 22: in October 2015:
If there’s one area Cody Garbrandt doesn’t lack in, it’s confidence. “No Love” wasn’t shy in predicting he’d capture the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title at UFC 207. To some, it was …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy7TNjFnFE0
If there’s one area Cody Garbrandt doesn’t lack in, it’s confidence. “No Love” wasn’t shy in predicting he’d capture the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title at UFC 207. To some, it was a tough sell given that Dominick Cruz had been the bantamweight ruler who overcame being shelved by injuries.
Garbrandt prevailed in a stellar performance.
The new champion took the time to speak with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to discuss his victory. He told Helwani that he always saw himself becoming the 135-pound champion:
“I envisioned this dream, this vision and this goal for nearly 13 years. I worked so hard for it and had people who helped out in the process and join me on the journey to help me along. It’s been such a surreal moment for me, my family, Maddux (Maple), my coaches [and] everyone that’s been involved. It’s so surreal and I’ve take a few days to reflect on it and be around my loved ones and supporters and just share these moments with them.”
Garbrandt is a huge believer in visualization and self-belief. In fact, “No Love” said he wrote down that he would be the bantamweight champion by 2017.
“I always believed. I wrote that down, I wrote my goals. Once I set my mind to do something and just let it takeover, become obsessed and manifest it, see the vision and visualize it daily and work towards it daily, I go in there and give myself 110 percent everyday. I knew that I would be the champion before 2017.”
A special moment for “No Love” was when he walked out with Maddux and let him wear the championship. Maddux is a 10-year old cancer survivor whose story brought Garbrandt out of a negative path. “No Love” said UFC 207 belonged to Maddux.
“We were backstage and I could tell he was a little nervous like anybody would be. He fought his entire life for this. This was his night. I’m just glad that I was able to be a little small part of it.”
Following UFC 207, the cheering from Team Alpha Male was deafening.
Thanks to Cody Garbrandt, the squad had finally dethroned Dominick Cruz and had the UFC bantamweight title once more in their grasp. Former TAM fighter T.J. Dillashaw held the title when he was competing out of the camp, but had not won it from Cruz.
Backstage, Garbrandt and the leader of the team, Urijah Faber, shared a moment of embrace and reflection.
Thankful for @UrijahFaber & the road he has paved. I couldn’t have chosen a better role model to look up to during my journey to the top!🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RkWhOp0Awg
Faber retired following a win last month over Brad Pickett, while Garbrandt has already stated he plans to give Cruz a rematch after claiming the title with a convincing decision victory.
Following UFC 207, the cheering from Team Alpha Male was deafening.
Thanks to Cody Garbrandt, the squad had finally dethroned Dominick Cruz and had the UFC bantamweight title once more in their grasp. Former TAM fighter T.J. Dillashaw held the title when he was competing out of the camp, but had not won it from Cruz.
Backstage, Garbrandt and the leader of the team, Urijah Faber, shared a moment of embrace and reflection.
Thankful for @UrijahFaber & the road he has paved. I couldn't have chosen a better role model to look up to during my journey to the top!?? pic.twitter.com/RkWhOp0Awg
Faber retired following a win last month over Brad Pickett, while Garbrandt has already stated he plans to give Cruz a rematch after claiming the title with a convincing decision victory.
Only one title changed hands last night at UFC 207 from Las Vegas, but it felt like two did. The two championship bouts also demonstrated how much further women’s MMA still has to go, despite the progress it has made with the star power of Ronda Rousey. Amanda Nunes was the defending champion in the
Only one title changed hands last night at UFC 207 from Las Vegas, but it felt like two did. The two championship bouts also demonstrated how much further women’s MMA still has to go, despite the progress it has made with the star power of Ronda Rousey.
Amanda Nunes was the defending champion in the main event, but she was certainly not the bigger attraction, not even close. The vast majority of the pre-fight build-up was focused on Ronda Rousey, the primary storyline concerned with her comeback.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan famously questioned the company’s marketing strategy leading up to UFC 207. To Rogan, leaving the champion out or giving her only a small spot in the promotion didn’t make sense. Nunes was the “reigning, defending, undisputed” champion, had beaten the woman who beat the woman who knocked Rousey out.
Not only was the UFC missing the chance to create another bankable star, but they actively diminished Nunes’ accomplishments to get where she was.
Thus to many casual fans, Nunes was doubtless merely a nameless, faceless golem whom Rousey would try to overcome after she first purged her personal demons. With the promo she cut after the fight, people will hopefully know Nunes now.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA Today Sports
While the result was not necessarily surprising – I and many others picked Nunes – the manner in which she dispatched Rousey was. It was a clinical dissection, a mollywhopping of nearly unprecedented proportions in a fight at this level.
In the aftermath of the Rousey’s defeat to Holly Holm, there was a great deal of revisionist history regarding Rousey’s skills. Many wrongly claimed that she had never been that good to begin with. Her three and a half year stranglehold on the division, the manner in which she dominated her opponents, and the intimidating force she presented at the top prove otherwise. She was undeniably talented. Her combination of physicality and unbelievable grappling ability will make her a legitimate threat to any woman she ever faces, should she decide to step into the Octagon again.
What was obvious in hindsight after UFC 193 was that her striking, particularly her defense, never made any demonstrable strides. Even in fights she won, even those she won by knockout, Rousey was there to be hit. She was decked cleanly by Miesha Tate, Sara McMann, and Bethe Correia. As soon as someone forced her to strike without engaging in a wild brawl, Rousey faltered.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA Today Sports
In Nunes, Rousey faced a woman whose punching power exceeded even her own, and it quickly became apparent that she had not adequately shorn up the holes in her defense. “The Lioness” battered her at range, punished her for trying to close the distance, and quickly extricated herself the few times Rousey was able to lay hands on her. The final nails in the coffin of Rousey’s invincibility were driven home soon after.
Nunes, like Holm before her, was a bad stylistic matchup for Rousey. And that is what sets the women’s bantamweight division apart from the men’s at this point. Who sits atop the women’s 135-pound division depends largely on the styles of the two fighters vying for that seat. “Styles make fights,” as they say. The old adage still applies to MMA in general, but nowhere is that more apparent than women’s bantamweight.
Holm’s counter striking and ability to stay out of the clinch and off the ground made her a bad matchup for Rousey. Tate struggled with the same things when she tried to dethrone Holm, but her superior wrestling allowed to her to come back, finish the fight, and take the title it seemed she would never win from Rousey. Nunes’ crazy athleticism and powerful punching were able to exploit Tate’s own poor striking defense and tendency to get clocked early in fights.
Nunes herself, despite her evisceration of Rousey, is not without her own flaws. She doesn’t offer much from her back when she is taken down and her poor gas tank nearly cost her a shot at the belt against Valentina Shevchenko. If “Bullet” can get by Julianna Pena, she might be able to in a five-round fight against Nunes. So, too, could Holm. The point being that most women, even at the top of the sport, have clear holes in their games and rely largely on one or two strengths to win.
We see this kind of thing less in championship MMA on the men’s side these days. There are men like Demetrious Johnson, Jose Aldo, Jon Jones, and Dominick Cruz who do everything well. They are among the best in the world at striking, wrestling, grappling, and fighting in the clinch.
That’s not to say the women’s side of MMA is worse than the men’s, in fact, female MMA has obviously been a huge boost to fighting overall and has evolved the sports to never-before-imagined levels. It’s just that it hasn’t had the same amount of time to adapt and evolve at the highest levels, and Nunes is clearly the personification of that despite her flaws.
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas of USA Today Sports
That makes Cody Garbrandt’s dismantling of Cruz all the more impressive. There was no obvious weakness in “The Dominator’s” skillset. But Garbrandt’s hand speed allowed him to counter when Cruz lunged forward with punches, his wrestling ability and athleticism helped him stuff Cruz’s takedowns, and his poise enabled him to stick to his gameplan and not try to bull rush Cruz.
What separates men’s and women’s championship MMA at this point are the strategic nuances and the small in-fight adjustments necessary to beat a fighter like Cruz. Or to be a long-standing champion like Johnson, Jones, or Aldo. Women’s MMA hasn’t existed at the highest levels or received mainstream exposure for very long, so these things will come.
In addition to looking forward to Nunes’ next fight, I’m excited to see how female MMA continues to close the gap. That will result in fights that are just as compelling during the scrap as they are to consider beforehand.
