Is it do-or-die time for Cody Garbrandt?
Remember [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag]’s masterful performance in winning the UFC bantamweight belt from Dominick Cruz at UFC 207? That felt like a changing-of-the-guard moment, with Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) sitting at 11-0 at age 25.
And yet here were are, three and a half years later, and his victory over Cruz sits as his most recent win. Garbrandt has dropped three in a row, all by knockout, all in wild firefights, with the last one, against Pedro Munhoz, one few saw coming.
So will Garbrandt be able to turn things around? Well, he’s working with noted striking coach Mark Henry now, one of the game’s finest, which should help fix the flaws in his aggressive style. Garbrandt returns for his first fight in 15 months, where he’ll meet [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] in a fight originally slated for March. Assuncao (27-7 MMA, 11-4 UFC), himself, is a top-level divisional mainstay with something to prove after two losses, giving this fight an extra sense of urgency.
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