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Cody Garbrandt has had a rough run over the last six years. It started with his TKO loss to T.J. Dillashaw back in 2017 and went downhill fast after that. He’d take another loss to Dillashaw in their rematch the following year, and again he was felled. He’d go on to eat a third, straight loss, this time by the hands of Pedro Munhoz, and again, by knockout. From 2017 to 2021, Cody would fight just once a year. However, he did get back on track in 2021 with a bit more of a regular fight schedule. Now, cruising off a two-win streak, he’s called out Deiveson Figueiredo and been granted his wish by way of UFC 300.
Can Cody Garbrandt’s chin handle the heat?
It wouldn’t be until 2020 that he’d finally notch a win over a thoroughly shopworn Raphael Assuncao. It was a spectacular knockout that won him a performance bonus but it wouldn’t take long for him to get back on the wrong side of the win/loss column when he met up with Rob Font in 2021. Font took him the distance, punishing him every round. Two of the judges awarded Font 50-45 scores. It was a drubbing.
From there, Cody would make the ill-fated choice to drop down to flyweight. At the time, Deiveson Figueiredo was in possession of the belt and the two discussed fighting, but Figgy wanted to be sure Garbrandt could make the weight and get a win before he’d agree to a contest. He definitely made the weight but looked like the ghost of Cody Garbrandt, and as you already know, the outcome of the fight was disastrous. Kai Kara-France only needed about three minutes to dispatch the Ohio native via TKO.
But then we get to his current status, a two-fight win streak. The first of the two was a timid performance against Trevin Jones that clearly showed a more defensive, almost gun-shy “No Love,” but perhaps that can be attributed to an abundance of caution because his next outing, against a very experienced and wily Brian Kelleher, was wildly different. It took Garbrandt just over three minutes to flatline the New Yorker.
What about Deiveson Figueiredo?
Figueiredo hasn’t had a completely magnificent run, but he’s demonstrated a much higher level of durability and winability. In the same time span, since late 2017, he has fought an incredible 14 times. By comparison, Cody Garbrandt only fought eight times. Of those 14 contests, Figgy won 11 of them, lost two and had one draw. He claimed the flyweight belt, defended it twice, lost it and won it back, all in that same timeframe (I keep mentioning it because that’s an insane run). But what stands out most in this side-by side comparison is that he was only finished twice, once by submission, once by TKO, both to the same man, Brandon Moreno.
Of particular importance here, in my opinion at least, is durability. Figgy has shown that he has the sturdier chin, at least up to this point. And while he is getting kind of long in the tooth at 36, he recently made his bantamweight debut to sweeping success against former Garbrandt foe, Rob Font. All the while Cody, at 32, seems to be catching a much needed second wind for his career.
Personally, I think Figgy will end up being too much for Mr. Garbrandt. Cody’s chin has been suspect for years and when facing heavy hitters, seems to find himself making defensive errors while headhunting knockouts. I would have much rather preferred a steadier, slower pace to really build confidence and possibly expand his training horizons before facing an opponent as lethal as Deiveson. I could be wrong, and I frequently am, but I don’t think I’m too far off the mark here. UFC 300 will tell the tale.
What do you think?
We’re pinning this post to our front-page all day to give our community a chance to have their say. So jump in the comments and tell us if you think Cody Garbrandt has what it takes to get past Deiveson Figueiredo. But if you want to discuss anything else, that’s cool, too. You’ve got an open forum here, so use it.