Cody Garbrandt has hit another road bump in his UFC career.
The former UFC Bantamweight Champion, who dethroned Dominick Cruz in 2016, is now 3-7 in his last ten fights after back-to-back losses at UFC Atlanta.
Garbrandt, 33, looked much different than he did in his fight against former champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300, sporting long hair and new tattoos, including a sword through his right eye.
Garbrandt faced off against Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos in a bantamweight bout. ‘No Love’ fought a decent first round, but Barcelos outlanded Garbrandt in rounds 2 and 3 to win a unanimous decision.
Another loss for Garbrandt has left fans concerned for his career, with some even calling for his retirement.
A UFC veteran says ‘something is going on’ with Cody Garbrandt.
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Josh Thomson thinks Cody Garbrandt is ‘fighting some inner demons’
Former UFC and Strikeforce fighter Josh Thomson was brutally honest on Garbrandt’s last performance, believing Garbrandt was fighting more than one opponent at UFC Atlanta.
“The Cody situation is very frustrating from the outside looking in because you see all the talent,” Thomson said on The Weighing In Podcast.
“You see everything he’s doing. I think as a former fighter and other people that I’ve talked to also, the tattoo on the face, the other stuff going on.
“It’s almost like a mid-life crisis he’s going through,” Thomson added.
“There’s more to it than just fighting. It seems like he’s fighting some inner demons. He’s got some other things going on. It’s sad because he’s so talented, so blessed. He’s got all the tools and everything he can be that a lot of fighters wish they had.
“But something’s going on. There’s something else going on with him,” the retired fighter said of Garbrandt.
Cody Garbrandt has rebounded from back-to-back losses before
Once an undefeated world champion at 11-0, Garbrandt dropped three fights in a row by KO, starting with a title loss to rival TJ Dillashaw in 2017.
Garbrandt eventually bounced back with a buzzer-beater knockout of Raphael Assuncao three years later at UFC 250.
‘No Love’ wasn’t able to keep the momentum going, losing his next two fights after that.
Garbrandt won twice in 2023 before losing to Deiveson Figueiredo by submission at UFC 300.