According to T.J. Dillashaw, the UFC invested heavily in Cody Garbrandt hoping he’d reach Conor McGregor’s level of stardom.
According to [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag], the UFC heavily invested in [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].
Dillashaw ended up fighting former training partner Garbrandt twice after he fell out with Team Alpha Male. The pair coached Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and tensions reached a boiling point during the filming of the show.
Garbrandt was an undefeated bantamweight champion during that time after he put on a masterclass against Dominick Cruz to dethrone him. Dillashaw says the UFC put a lot of stock into “No Love” leading up to their title fight.
“He had a lot of pressure on him, as well,” Dillashaw said of Garbrandt on “The Casuals MMA” podcast. “He had an amazing fight against Cruz. I’ve never seen Cody Garbrandt be that good. His style is perfect for Cruz. He’s by far the fastest human being I’ve ever trained with when it comes to reaction times and how quick he is. He’s got great wrestling, and he’s got power in his hands, so it was a perfect matchup for him. Coming off that, the UFC was like, ‘Hey, this is our next big horse. Let’s put some money into him.’
“So they marketed the sh*t out of him, put him in a bunch of commercials, got some celebrities behind him. From what I was told, they put like $6 million into marketing him before our fight, gave us ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ So he went to massive stardom, way bigger than me – fast. They wanted him to be the next Conor McGregor, like run your mouth. I wouldn’t say he’s the sharpest tool in the shed to be able to be able to do something like that. He says sh*t, and he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Dillashaw ended up getting the best of Garbrandt by knockout in two-straight title fights. Since beating Cruz, Garbrandt has struggled to remain at the top of the bantamweight ladder, going 3-6 in his next nine fights.
What’s Carlos Prates’ potential at welterweight? We preview his return vs. Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 100 on “Spinning Back Clique.”
Another weekend, another UFC event.
This Saturday, the promotion hosts UFC Fight Night 247 in Las Vegas, which features a welterweight headliner between veteran [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag] and promising contender [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag].
What’s Prates’ ceiling at welterweight? What other bouts stand out from the card?
MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King, Danny Segura and host Gorgeous “George” preview the top billing of UFC Fight Night 247, along with other matchups on the card.
Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.
Saturday’s UFC Vegas 100 event has lost its co-headliner.
UFC Fight Night 247 has lost its co-main event, with [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] forced out of his bantamweight matchup vs. [autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag] on Saturday (ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
A person with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the change Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Cole Shelton was first to report the news.
Unbeaten in his past four appearances, 30-year-old Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) is coming off two straight wins over Cody Gibson and Douglas Silva de Andrade in 2024.
Miles Johns has seen Cody Garbrandt get sucked into a fire fight before and hopes to do just that at UFC Fight Night 247.
[autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag] is here to fight the who’s who.
With a chip on his shoulder and an eagerness to further prove himself, Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) enters the highest-profile fight of his life Nov. 9 at UFC Fight Night 247 when he takes on former bantamweight champion [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].
Johns is dead set on getting better and bigger-named opponents each and every time from here on out. It begins with Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC), but other names are on the tip of his tongue, as well.
“For me, I take it one fight at a time,” Johns recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “So I’m super focused on Cody right now. It also made me realize I want to fight the who’s who. I want to fight the Pedro Munhozes, the Dominick Cruzes, the Rob Fonts. It seems like none of these prospects can take care of Font. I was thinking in my head, ‘Maybe I’ll be the one that can.’ Two have failed so far, two of these rising prospects. But I think I can be the one to do it.
“Who knows what will come next? Sean Shelby is very good at his job. I trust him. He seems like he keeps giving me the perfect test at the perfect time. We’ll see what happens. But hopefully this will set me up to fight the who’s who of the division. I’m not even so concerned about rankings. I want to be in the rankings. I feel like soon I’ll deserve to be in the rankings. But give me the names. Give me fights that have people getting excited for.”
Johns, 30, is 3-1 with one no contest in most recent four. The no contest was initially a win for Johns, but it was overturned after a failed drug test. However, the Nevada Athletic Commission adjusted allowable thresholds for DHMCT, the substance found in his system, between the time of his positive test and subsequent disciplinary action.
Garbrandt, 33, is 2-1 in his most recent three but is coming off a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo in April. The court of public opinion is not unanimous as to where Garbrandt is skill wise in his career, but Johns has some insider intel that’s boosted his confidence he’ll get the best “No Love” on fight night.
“I’m expecting Cody Garbrandt with something to prove,” Johns said. “He has a little bit of a legacy to leave. I hear he’s on the last fight of his UFC contract. I know that he’s had his ups and downs and stuff. He’s dealt with a lot of critique from fans in the MMA world. I don’t really listen to too much of that. People always say he has no chin. I’ve seen fights that he’s been in after he’s gotten knocked out where he did take a lot of punches and his chin did last. I just feel like he’s knowing this is his last fight on his UFC contract. He’s going to come with everything he has. That’s what I hope. I want to beat the best Cody Garbrandt. … I’m expecting the best Cody, and I plan to put the best Cody to sleep.”
Johns said emotional baiting could be in his repertoire during their bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He’s seen Garbrandt get sucked into fire fights before and might attempt to charge him up into doing the same.
“I know he’s going to crack back,” Johns said. “I’m expecting for him to crack back. But I think if I get him up against the wall and I start putting some heat on him, he’s not going to like that. I want to make it an exciting fight. I want to make it a fight that the fans have fun watching and that they enjoy. We’ll see what happens. I know he’s also a little bit emotional. If he’s waiting a little bit and I tell him, ‘Come on, man. What are we waiting on? Let’s get this thing popping,’ I think he’ll oblige. But we’ll see.”
Cody Garbrandt is heading into the final fight of his contract at UFC Fight Night 247.
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] is heading into the final fight of his contract at UFC Fight Night 247.
Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) takes on Miles Johns (15-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a bantamweight bout Nov. 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
“No Love” says he has a good relationship with UFC CEO Dana White, and wants the octagon to remain his home. He hopes they can reach a deal that keeps him as a UFC fighter.
“(I’m) still going through some things with the UFC. This is my last fight on the contract, so (I’ve) got to get together with them and see what we can come up with,” Garbrandt said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “I’d love to (re-sign). I love the UFC – I think especially where the sport is going. I love mixed martial arts. Obviously, UFC is the premier league to fight in. But, you know, money talks.”
Garbrandt already has reached the pinnacle by winning the UFC bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in one of the most memorable championship-winning performances in company history. He’s experienced plenty of ups and downs since then, but what drives Garbrandt to keep fighting?
“For me, it’s not being satisfied,” Garbrandt said. “I think winning the title, I didn’t feel fulfilled. I won it and was like, ‘That’s it?’ because I think I fixated on it for so long and visualized myself doing it, and when I did it, it wasn’t like this huge surprise, ‘Oh sh*t, I did it.’ Obviously, I was happy for the people around me that were with me from the beginning.
“I don’t know. I’m still chasing whatever I was chasing, just something different. … Now I’m just chasing whatever else is on my mind because I love it. I love fighting, and I don’t see myself doing anything else because this window shuts everyday. You can only fight for so long. Lord willing, I’ll stay healthy and have longevity, five to eight more years.”
Despite their history, T.J. Dillashaw was hoping Cody Garbrandt would get his hand raised at UFC 300.
Despite their history, [autotag]T.J. Dillashaw[/autotag] was hoping [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] would get his hand raised at UFC 300.
Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was submitted by Deiveson Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) in Round 2 of their bantamweight bout this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.
Dillashaw thought Garbrandt was capable of winning, and went as far as praising his former rival.
“I thought Garbrandt was going to get the win,” Dillashaw said on the “JAXXON PODCAST.” “I think he’s the all-around better athlete. They both have power – we know that going into the fight. Figueiredo’s got power at ’25s, but it’s translated and we’ve seen it at ’35s, as well. Garbrandt’s got power – he’s just so fast. He’s like the fastest person I’ve ever trained with, fought against – insanely fast. His fast twitch is crazy.
“I thought that he’d get the win. I was hoping he’d get the win, I was actually rooting for him, even with all the bullsh*t drama going on between him and us fighting each other. I was rooting for him. I hate to see a fighter lose his confidence because when you lose your confidence, your skills go downhill. If you’re not going to believe in yourself when you get in there, then you’re not going to be able to do what you can do to the fullest.”
Dillashaw knocked out Garbrandt in back-to-back title fights at UFC 217 and UFC 227. The former bantamweight champion says Garbrandt’s chin has since deteriorated, which made him more tentative while fighting.
“He unfortunately doesn’t have a chin anymore,” Dillashaw said. “People have seen that. He can get cracked, and he’s gotten knocked out after I beat him. He got knocked out a few more times, so everyone was ridiculing him for getting knocked out and for being overly aggressive, not having good defense. Now they want to hate him for being too defensive.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Cody Garbrandt said the vertigo he experienced was so bad that he was at the hospital after UFC 300 until 4 a.m.
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] says he was dealing with vertigo during his UFC 300 fight against [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag].
After looking fluid on the feet during the striking exchanges, Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) was submitted by Figueiredo (23-3-1 MMA, 12-3-1 UFC) in Round 2 of their bantamweight bout Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Garbrandt explained that things were going well until he started feeling dizzy, something he’s been dealing with for years.
“I felt great in my fight until I started to experience vertigo,” the former UFC bantamweight champion wrote in a message posted 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.”
Garbrandt had his two-fight winning streak snapped after beating Trevin Jones and knocking out Brian Kelleher. Garbrandt is 3-6 since his spectacular title win over Dominick Cruz in 2016.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
What Cody Garbrandt credits for reviving his career is exactly what he sees Deiveson Figueiredo lacking ahead of UFC 300.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] admits he’s been there, which is why his internal gauge is telling him [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] might be physically unprepared for Saturday’s historic UFC 300 card at T-Mobile Arena.
The two former champions were booked to fight for the flyweight title during Figueiredo’s reign in 2020. However, Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) withdrew and the bout never materialized again – until now.
Garbrandt called for the rebooking after his UFC 296 knockout of Brian Kelleher in December and the promotion quickly obliged. The lead-up has included some trash talk, which led Gabrandt to think Figueiredo (22-3-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) might be acting out of desperation.
“I’ve been there,” Gabrandt told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference. “Maybe he lacks a lot of confidence. Maybe he didn’t prepare like he needed to, so he’s trying to get into the head game. Maybe that’s his out. ‘If I can get in Cody’s head, I’m going to win this fight.’ If that’s what he’s going off of to be victorious on Saturday, he’s going to have a long night ahead of him.”
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Garbrandt’s fall from championship grace was initially a hard one. After an 11-0 run as a pro that led him to a UFC title win over Dominick Cruz, Garbrandt lost five of six, including four knockout defeats.
Since the start of 2023, however, Garbrandt has won back-to-back fights. He credits his reinvention to mental strides from work with a therapist.
“It’s something that I never thought I needed to do,” Garbrandt said. “Some of my hardest sessions were going in there with him, over the training, over the sparring, over the constant grind. It was always driving to those sessions knowing that I had to open up about my thoughts, my feelings, and I’ve never been one to express those. He’s helped out a lot, tremendously, not just in my athletic career performance-wise, but life as well. Being able to balance all that together and stay engaged in the moments and the times, I feel like that’s a huge thing that I’ve worked (on) that’s different. Nothing is different in my speed, my power, my vision. It’s my mental fortitude that’s what’s keeping me here and keeping me motivated and understanding this is what I love to do.”
Garbrandt and Figueiredo will kick off an ultra-stacked card as the first fight of the night. Garbrandt is flattered by the bout card positioning and the opportunity to fight on one of the promotion’s most historic cards.
“We’re making history,” Garbrandt said. “There’s never been a matchup in the UFC that’s two former world champions kicking off a card. I’m grateful for the spotlight, grateful for the opener of the amazing card with such amazing athletes. Also, (I’m grateful) to draw people in early. They don’t want to miss this fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Cody Garbrandt isn’t too sold on UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley just yet.
[autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag] isn’t too sold on UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] just yet.
O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) defeated ex-champ Petr Yan to become No. 1 contender, knocked out Aljamain Sterling to become champion, and battered Marlon Vera in his first title defense.
However, Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) thinks there are a few asterisks that come with those wins.
“He didn’t beat Yan, so let’s be honest,” Garbrandt told MMA Junkie. “He was given that. The Aljo fight, I think Aljo just pushed, raced fast back to bantamweight. Those weight cuts took a toll on him. As a champion, they want to keep you busy. … (Sterling) came right in, right in front of him, sharp-shot him, caught him.
“So good on ‘Sugar’ Sean to be the champion, to beat Aljamain. Aljamain had a great run. The ‘Chito’ (Vera) fight was so-so for me. His first title defense, he went five rounds against a guy who gave him his first loss, but back story is ‘Chito’ didn’t have the best camp, was injured going in. Who knows?”
O’Malley is targeting [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) for his next title defense. Garbrandt sees Dvalishvili as a test to prove if O’Malley is really that good.
“I think this Merab fight is going to be pretty interesting to see how legit ‘Sugar’ Sean is,” Garbrandt said. “Can he stuff takedowns? Can he go the distance in a higher-paced fight. ‘Chito’ didn’t try to take one takedown. This is mixed martial arts.”
Garbrandt meets Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) opener at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses everything UFC 300.
Check out this week’s special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” where we’ll be breaking down everything UFC 300.
This week’s panel will be composed of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia – along with appearances from Matt Wells, Mike Bohn, Farah Hannoun, Dan Tom, and Nolan King.
For this Monday’s special episode, the panel discussed:
The pair of undisputed UFC championship fights headlining UFC 300. In the main event, [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] makes his first light heavyweight title defense against former champion [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag], who returns from injury. In the co-main event, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] takes on fellow Chinese fighter [autotag]Yan Xiaonan[/autotag] in a women’s strawweight bout.
The first-ever Baddest Motherf*cker title defense, as BMF champion [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] welcomes back [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] to the lightweight division. Other key lightweight bouts go down, including [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].
Highly-touted undefeated middleweight prospect [autotag]Bo Nickal[/autotag]’s return to action. He takes on Cody Brundage in the opening bout of the pay-per-view main card. This will be Nickal’s third fight under the UFC banner.
Two-time PFL champion and two-time Judo Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag] makes her highly awaited UFC debut. She takes on former champion [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] at bantamweight – a division Harrison will be debuting in. Harrison has previously fought at 155 and 145 pounds.
Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] has moved up to featherweight. Veteran contender [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] welcomes him to the division.
To cap off the show, the panel will do a quick promo breakdown to hype up the four remaining bouts of the UFC 300 card. This includes [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag], [autotag]Sodiq Yusuff[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag], [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag], and [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cody Garbrandt[/autotag].
