There was already mixed feelings about Cody Garbrandt fighting for the flyweight title. However these concerns are irrelevant for now, as he has been forced out of the bout.
It seemed that Garbrandt finally got himself back on track at bantamweight, when he knocked out Raphael Assuncao in epic fashion. This, coupled the fact that this was first win in four fights made it somewhat confusing when the UFC expressed interested in booking him in a title fight, down a weight class, against newly crowned flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo. Nevertheless this was the bout that was signed, and expected to go down at UFC 255 on November 21st.
Cody Garbrandt Forced Out Of Title Fight
If you were unhappy with the fact that Cody Garbrandt was getting this title shot, then you do not have to worry about seeing it, at least for now. According to reports, the former bantamweight champ has been forced out of the fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. Although the reason he withdrew is not revealed, it has been announced that number four ranked Alex Perez, who was already on the same card, facing Branden Moreno, will be filling in to face the champ instead.
Breaking report from Combate's @raphamarinho: Cody Garbrandt is out of his bout against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 255 and is being replaced by Alex Perez.
Perez was scheduled to face Brandon Moreno at the event. https://t.co/9wpbTJXLFm
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) October 2, 2020
This is undoubtedly a disappointing thing for Cody Garbrandt, who was excited for the opportunity to get his second title in a second division. Despite the fact that the reason for his pulling out not being revealed, it does not seem likely that it had anything to do with him dropping to a lower weight class. It is not close enough to the fight for him to be in the middle of a weight cut. Moreover it is unclear if this is related to his previous COVID-19 diagnosis. Nevertheless, hopefully whatever the problem is that forced him out of the fight, is not too serious and he can get back to action soon, whether it is another crack at the title or something else.
