Cody Garbrandt discussed when and who he wants to fight next.
On March 4, Garbrandt ended his two-fight skid with a unanimous decision win against Trevin Jones. The former UFC bantamweight champion proved there’s gas left in the tank, and he doesn’t plan on slowing down. During an interview with MMA Junkie Radio, ‘No Love’ had this to say about what he wants for his next fight:
“I’d like to fight International Fight Week. My birthday is July 7. The fight’s July 8, so it would be great to weigh in on my birthday, fight the next day, (and) get a big win. I saw Rani Yahya is slated to fight in April, so if he wins, hopefully he can fight in July. That’s something I look forward to, fighting him.”
Before defeating Jones, there were concerns about Gabrandt’s future in the UFC. ‘No Love’ suffered two consecutive losses against Rob Font and Kai Kara-France, with the latter being at flyweight in December 2021. The 31-year-old didn’t return for over a year when he got back on track against ‘5 Star’ in March.
Watch Cody Gabrandt on MMA Junkie Radio below:
Cody Garbrandt wants to whoop Rani Yahya’s a*s
Cody Gabrandt had three fights canceled before being matched up against Trevin Jones. The first two were against Rani Yayha, and the last was Julio Arce. Yahya is on a two-fight win streak and has a bout booked against Montel Jackson for April 22.
Despite the matchup being scratched twice, Garbrandt reiterated his interest in rebooking the fight against the Brazilian grappler by saying this on the MMA Junkie Radio appearance:
“July 8, I’m getting ready for whatever – hopefully Rani Yahya. It’s two fights that he’s pulled out, so I’d really like to whoop his ass just for that. That’s two fight camps you didn’t get paid for.”
At UFC 207, Garbrandt had one of the best performances in promotional history with a unanimous decision win against Dominick Cruz to become the bantamweight champion. ‘No Love’ was unable to defend the title, losing his next two fights in an intense rivalry against TJ Dillashaw.
Since his rivalry with Dillashaw, Gabrandt has never been the same. He lost three of his next four fights before bouncing back with his win against Trevin Jones. Luckily, ‘No Love’ made smart decisions by taking some time off and eliminating negative factors in his personal life. There are rumors of the UFC wanting to set up a rematch against Cruz, but it’s unclear if the matchup will materialize.
Could you imagine telling someone that Cody Garbrandt would go 1-5 and end up on the prelims immediately after doing THIS to Dominick Cruz? #UFC285 https://t.co/DWHYXQmodD
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) March 5, 2023
Quotes provided by MMA Junkie.
