With another title run, comes a new mentality for Cody Garbrandt.
Putting together back-to-back wins over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion gets a step up in competition in fellow ex-champ Deiveson Figueiredo. Garbrandt looks to make it three wins in a row when he meets Figueiredo at the historic UFC 300 fight card on Apr. 13.
Garbrandt On Facing Brazil’s Figueiredo
Garbrandt vs. Figueiredo was long slated to be the first fight of the night, but was just replaced by a new matchup in Jalin Turner vs. Renato Moicano.
“Amazing opportunity, former world champion, going head-to-head, UFC 300, big card… Fans get there early and we’ll start off with an entertaining fight,” Garbrandt said on Flex Lewis’ ‘Straight Outta The Lair Podcast’.
Very few fighters in their lives get to experience what winning the UFC title is like, especially at a young age. For Ohio’s Garbrandt, it was all gas and no brakes as it took the bantamweight five fights in the Octagon to enter his first world title fight.
At 25, Garbrandt would hear the words, ‘And New’ after delivering a one-of-a-kind performance that saw him dancing around and knocking down two-time champ Dominick Cruz across the distance.
‘What’s Different From My First Rise…’
Garbrandt would lose his title to TJ Dillashaw less than a year after UFC 207. It was a rocky road for the young knockout artist, who went 1-5 after a career-best win over Cruz. But, things are now starting to look up for Garbrandt as the former champ is back on a win streak, billed against a big-name opponent, on an even-bigger platform at UFC 300.
The 32 year-old explains how life has changed for him since first realizing his dream of becoming a UFC champion in 2016.
“I think what’s different from my first rise to being a world champion and this rise now that I’m back on, just experience within life, but also the career,” Garbrandt went on. “I was 23 years old when I got in the UFC, and then I won the world title under 2 years in the UFC. So, 5 fights in, I was in the UFC, and then I became a world champion. I had eleven professional fights. So the experience, learning a lot about the business as well, that’s a huge difference.
“At the end of the day, I’m a fighter. We just wanna fight, that’s that’s what I was just so focused on. But being able to balance that, being able to balance things that come with the lifestyle, comes with being a champion or a former champion. Obviously, things along the way, I became a father to my son Kai, he’s about to turn 6 in 2 weeks. So, just finding the balance of not looking so far ahead. Like, what’s next? What’s next? You know?
Garbrandt’s Mentality After Losing The Championship
Following his title loss in 2017, Garbrandt says there wasn’t a day that he didn’t think about recapturing UFC gold and perhaps that’s the exact mentality that led to his downfall from the sport for a few years.
“I think when I lost the world championship, then I was constantly, like, I gotta get it back, I gotta get it back. You know? And not overlooking any fight, but looking back, like, ‘Oh, I win this fight, I’m gonna fight back for the title’. I was overlooking it, per se. Because I was like, ‘Hey, one more fight. UFC’s like, ‘Hey, win this fight, you’re fighting for the title’.
Garbrandt On ‘Finding Those Values’
Taking it day by day and finding a new meaning to life in fatherhood, Garbrandt hopes to ‘live more in present’ and ‘be more grounded’ with his approach the upcoming fight.
“Be more just present with everything. I think that for us— we’re judged off of wins and losses. It’s either winning the fight or losing the fight. So, we fixate on, we gotta win or what comes with the loss. So, just being present with the daily grind, being consistent with your work, whoever you need to help out outside of the career, but also the mentality, finding those values, too. And it helps out with balancing.
“Can’t be just a fighter all day, you know. You have to go home. You’re a father. You have so many different hats you have to wear. So, just finding the balance with that has helped out where I’m at. I think it’s life experience.”
