At UFC 250 former Bantamweight Champion, Cody “No Love” Garbrandt returned to the octagon & turned in a Knockout of the Year contender against perennial contender at 135 pounds Raphael Assuncao. Now however it seems Mr Garbrandt is keen to drop to 125 pounds & challenge for the kingdom.
The Flyweight division has been in flux for quite some time since Hery Cejudo defeated longtime champion Demetrious Johnson then decided to chase the gold at Bantamweight instead of defending his Flyweight championship, then Cejudo decided to “retire” a double champion leaving both divisions in turmoil.
With Cejudo finished in the fight game the UFC booked Joseph Benavidez vs Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant Flyweight Crown, this however hit a snag as Figueiredo missed weight deeming him ineligible to become champion, meaning if Benavidez won then he would be champ but if Figueiredo won the title remained vacant. Guess what? Figueiredo won that fight & the title remained vacant.
The UFC rebooked the matchup with both fighters making weight meaning we were guaranteed to have a new champ (barring a draw of course) & it was Figueiredo who demolished Benavidez en route to becoming the new king at Flyweight.
Immediately after the title fight, the rumor mill began to circulate that Garbrandt was heavily interested in a drop to 125 to challenge the new Flyweight King & after speaking with ESPN recently (via Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting) No Love confirmed his team had been in discussion with UFC president Dana White about making that fight happen.
“As far as I know, I don’t have a contract in hand,” Garbrandt said, teasing that he would be the first challenger for Figueiredo’s title. “We’re trying to wait on that with Ali (Abdelaziz, Garbrandt’s manager) and Dana and Sean (Shelby, UFC matchmaker) and Mick (Maynard, UFC matchmaker). I’ve actually been vocal about going to 125 for quite some time now. We spoke about it in the past before the Assuncao fight and I feel like it’s great. I’m able to do it now, early still in my career. I just turned 29. I’m able to go to 125, challenge and win that title there, and then go back up to 135 pounds and compete with the best of them there.
“I feel like it’s a time in my life and my career where it’s very pivotal for me to make this transition into flyweight and bantamweight. I don’t think a lot of the flyweight guys could come up to bantamweight and compete at the elite level that I am, so I’m very blessed I’m able to do that. So yeah, hopefully I get this shot against Figueroa, Figueiredo – whatever his name is. Great guy. I think that he’s a tough, tough competitor, I just think that I’m way more skillful than him and excited for the challenge at task. Hopefully we’ll get it done and I can get in the octagon before this year’s up again.”
Garbrandt’s desire to drop to 125 pounds & challenge there goes as far back as 2016 after he won the Bantamweight Crown from Dominick Cruz as he wanted to chase a second title. Garbrandt states that he doesn’t cut a lot of weight to reach 135 pounds so making 125 would be easy for him.
“I talked to Dana when he was on ‘Fight Island,’” Gabrandt said. “He said he’ll work on it and he was speaking with Ali and my coach Mark Henry, my coaches out here in Sacramento, so that’s kind of the plan. Right now, I just got done working out and I’m 145 pounds. Twenty pounds over – that’s very doable. I don’t cut weight until 135 pounds. I watch my weight the week of the fight and a lot of these guys are cutting to flyweight walking around this weight. So I can be very dangerous there and at 135 pounds.”
It seems like the perfect time for a drop down for Cody as the Bantamweight Picture is a little murky at current but just because it seems No Love leads the pack to become the first challenger for Figueiredo’s newly won crown don’t count him out at Bantamweight also because Dana White has made it crystal clear that “anything is possible” when it comes to Garbrandts next bout. Cody has also made it abundantly clear that he is chasing “greatness” in the form of becoming a two weight world champion.
“Like I said, I’d love to be able go snatch the 125 pound belt and then go and fight Petr Yan if he’s the champion after I grab this belt in November.,” Garbrandt said. “. . . Obviously, if you’re able to become a two division world champion – not many are world champions in their life or their career. I have the opportunity to do this. I’m chasing greatness. I’m on a mission. I’ve had the world championship tied around my waist before, I know what that feeling is, and I know I’m capable of doing it again at both weight classes.”
