4. The Resurgence of Cody Garbrandt
Over the years, Cody Garbrandt’s career has been as much about the journey as much as it has been highlighted by the triumphs.
The fresh faced 25 year-old who reigned supreme and showed the kind of crossover appeal that landed him a feature in GQ is one chapter, as has been the one of the exciting contender still in the hunt to get back to the top of the division. At times his run has led to great speculation: had he simply peaked early in one of the UFC’s deepest divisions? Had the competition figured out him out and exploited tactical errors he made?
The fact is, he is one of the unique fighters in that he experienced a great deal of peaks and valleys early in his career. Going into UFC 300, Garbrandt rides back-to-back victories following an unsuccessful test run at flyweight. A proven contender at just 32 years of age, “No Love” is in the perfect position to leap back into title contention with an impressive victory. With several contenders jockeying for position, he would make for a fresh matchup against the top ranked contenders who have mostly fought each other.
Opposing him is a man in the midst of writing his own next chapter as dynamic former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo who will be looking for his second straight victory at bantamweight following a win over Rob Font last year. The two will be opening the card with high stakes as Figueiredo would also leap into the conversation of highly regarded bantamweights should he turn away Garbrandt.
Read storylines 10-7 here.
Read storylines 3-1 here.
