The build-up to Cody Garbrandt’s flyweight debut has been dominated by the American making weight competitively for the first time at 125 lbs. And that’s understandable.
But the former UFC bantamweight champion insists it’s been a breeze.
“I don’t like to use the word motivated, so I’ll use inspired,” he says. “Inspired for what’s about to take place on Saturday night. That’s the emotions that I have. Feeling good.”
Speaking to The National via Zoom ahead of his clash with No 6-ranked contender Kai Kara-France this weekend at UFC 269 in Las Vegas, Garbrandt does look happy and healthy. And ready to put on a show.
That said, the weight cut has been a major talking point. France has been pretty vocal about it, too, questioning Garbrandt’s decision and then his adaptability, the impact on his obvious skill set, the affects in particular on the speed and power that once lit up the 135lb division.
France, a former bantamweight also, has competed in the UFC at flyweight seven times already, winning five – his most recent his last performance in March – and losing twice. In contrast, T-Mobile Arena early Sunday UAE time marks Garbrandt's inaugural outing at 125lbs.
“I don’t really play into the non-believers,” says Gardrandt, who has lost four of his five appearances since winning bantamweight gold in 2016. “I’ve been doubted my whole life. I was a kid that was never supposed to make it: father’s incarcerated, single mother raised us. I’ve always had the cards stacked against me.
“There’s a lot of ‘what’s if’. It’s never been done, so there’s going to be questions: ‘the weight cut’s going to kill him; can the power transfer over?’ Everyone is worried about something they cannot control.
“Even Kai. Where is your confidence at? Your confidence should be, ‘I don’t give a damn what happens in there, I want you to be the best you can so there’s no excuses’. Just like I pray for him, pray for him to be healthy, to be the best Kai Kara-France, so when I go in there and maul him on Saturday night I want no excuses. So no excuses from me. I’m a professional. I prepared for this weight cut.”
Garbrandt, 12-4 in professional mixed martial arts, says he has been surprised by his “crazy” speed and power, emphasising that the drop down in weight has been long in the making – and helped in no small part by nutritionist Dr Matteo Capodaglio.
Late last year, Garbrandt was slated to face then-flyweight champion Deiveson Figuereido, but contracted Covid-19 and the fight was scrapped. The road to full fitness was long and laboured, with his return to the octagon a unanimous-decision defeat, at bantamweight, to Rob Font in May.
Now, Garbrandt views France as the first step en route back to the summit.
“You’ve got to respect everyone who steps into the octagon,” he says. “He’s a professional athlete, he’s ranked at the top of the division. But I’m going to show that he’s got himself into a situation, and he’ll find out in the fight that it’s a bad situation.
"He’s more focused on me, so where’s his confidence at? He should be wanting the best Cody ‘No Love’ in there. I haven’t heard him say what he’s going to do. He’s more worried about the weight cut, the power, the speed, me coming down. That’s out of your control. And I just feel that he doesn’t have confidence.
"He looked at it as a good situation to be in: ‘I’m fighting a former world champion, high-profile fight for me in my career. I’m going to do all the media, all the talking’. So sit back and let him do his talking. Good for him, he might get some followers from it. He’ll be on my highlight reel, in a bad way.
“I see it, it motivates me and drives me. I’m just going to go in and do what I do. I’m inspired about what’s going to go down on Saturday night. I’m inspired for what I’m about to do and the performance I’m about to put on, to put everybody in the flyweight division on notice, to know that this is my division.
“And Kai was just a pawn that was brought in. He asked for this fight, he begged for this fight, he put himself in this situation. What’s different is I see the opportunity in it.”
Garbrandt, 30, has two-division champ status occupying his mind.
“When I say I’m going to set out to do something, wholeheartedly, then I’m going to do it,” he says. “This is another step in my dream and my goal is to be flyweight champion. I wrote it down years ago. Timing’s everything and it’s my time now.”
Garbrandt says he last felt as inspired when he defeated Cruz for the bantamweight belt almost five years ago to the day.
“Saturday night, it’s coming at you, for another masterclass performance,” he says. “That’s what I’m set out to do. Whatever has to be done. If I have to be in the red zone the whole time to get this done… I know the pace that I set, he won’t be able attain it. He’ll try but he’ll fail. He’ll break. I know that for a fact.”
Break France, as he says, and Garbrandt will be looking only up, right at Figuereido and current champion Brandon Moreno. Those familiar foes face off, for the third time, at UFC 270 next month. Garbrandt, though, views them simply as eminently moveable obstacles on the road to another championship.
“Smash them,” he says, smile wide. “That’s as simple and straightforward and honest as I can say. When I’m on, I’m on. There’s not a man who can stand toe-to-toe with me.
“Every flyweight should be licking their chops. But when push comes to shove, there’s not too many lined up to fight me. And definitely not this weekend. So, it’s focus on Kai Kara-France, get the win, and go from there - walk into Dana’s office on Monday morning and do some business. As I said, this is my division."
Garbrandt says he last felt as inspired when he defeated Cruz for the bantamweight belt almost five years ago to the day.
“Saturday night, it’s coming at you, for another masterclass performance,” he says. “That’s what I’m set out to do. Whatever has to be done. If I have to be in the red zone the whole time to get this done… I know the pace that I set, he won’t be able attain it. He’ll try but he’ll fail. He’ll break. I know that for a fact.”
Break France, as he says, and Garbrandt will be looking only up, right at Figuereido and current champion Brandon Moreno. Those familiar foes face off, for the third time, at UFC 270 next month. Garbrandt, though, views them simply as eminently moveable obstacles on the road to another championship.
“Smash them,” he says, smile wide. “That’s as simple and straightforward and honest as I can say. When I’m on, I’m on. There’s not a man who can stand toe-to-toe with me.
“Every flyweight should be licking their chops. But when push comes to shove, there’s not too many lined up to fight me. And definitely not this weekend. So, it’s focus on Kai Kara-France, get the win, and go from there - walk into Dana’s office on Monday morning and do some business. As I said, this is my division."
