As the curtains opened on 2016, the bantamweight division seemed fairly secure, with much of the buzz coming around the return of Dominick Cruz to MMA action. The bookmakers seemed to agree - according to Sports Interaction, only Cruz and TJ Dillashaw had odds of less than +500 to end the year as champ. At that point, Cody Garbrandt was a relative unknown - nowhere near this list, which went down as far as Johnny Eduardo at +27500. By December 30, 'No Love' had cemented his name at the top of the division, and pulled off one of the most remarkable debut title fights of all time.
The question perhaps most relevant for Garbrandt is 'how do you follow the perfect year?' In terms of fights, No Love has certainly not been as active as 2016, but that is as much due to misfortune, injuries and a lack of legitimate challengers as anything within his control. However, having been thoroughly whitewashed by Dillashaw in an ill-tempered series of The Ultimate Fighter, Cody will be more determined than ever to save his talking for the cage.
This is largely due to the much publicised history between Garbrandt and Dillashaw, which originates before No Love had ever made it to the big leagues. As a youngster, Cody had developed somewhat of an obsession with bantamweight and featherweight pioneer Urijah Faber, and founder of respected gym Team Alpha Male. Despite having just a couple of professional bouts under his belt, Garbrandt was insistent that he wanted to train with Faber, as well as requesting a route into the UFC. Faber's promise - get to 5-0 and I'll get you a shot.
And so he did. A year after the promise was made, Garbrandt had fulfilled his side of the bargain, ruthlessly knocking out four of his five opponents in the first round. It was here that Garbrandt and Dillashaw would first come into contact, with the latter already six months into his title reign. However, the relationship would quickly sour between Dillashaw and the team, leading to the current ongoing feud. In the lead-up to this weekend, No Love has been very vocal about his previous exploits over Dillashaw in the gym - something that TJ has been quick to dismiss.
Regardless of the outside disputes, few can dispute the impact that Garbrandt has had on the bantamweight division is such a short period of time. Before the back injury that delayed his first title defence, No Love had been among the more active fighters in the UFC, racking up three fights in each of his first two years to take him to the summit.
Having blasted through the perennial gatekeeper Marcus Brimage, Henry Briones and Augusto Mendes, it was in early February 2016 where Garbrandt made his name with the majority of UFC fans. In a battle of the prospects, Garbrandt pitted his unbeaten record against the unblemished sheet of highly rated Brazilian star Thomas Almeida, who had been tipped as a future title-holder himself. Less than three minutes later, it was clear who the real prospect of the division was. Having comprehensively outboxed Almeida in the early stages of the round, No Love landed his now patented hammer of a right, sending the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, and Garbrandt into the rankings.
It would take one move fight to prove his worth of a title opportunity, but having breezed past Takeya Mizugaki in a brisk 48 seconds, No Love was handed a date with Dominick Cruz. Most MMA fans, myself included, felt that this was a step too far for the youngster. He couldn't do it. Cruz was unbeaten as a bantamweight, and in all fights in nearly a decade. How wrong we were.
What we saw on December 30th was the execution of a masterful gameplan by a fighter with no fear or pressure and full of confidence. The footwork and movement was something we had never seen from Garbrandt before, and was reminiscent of Cruz himself - but more effective! Despite the champion's jibes about Cody's intelligence in the lead-up to the fight - something that Dillashaw has again played on pre-UFC 217 - No Love was able to keep his head and thoroughly bamboozle the bantamweight legend, earning a deserved unanimous decision win.
A huge contributor to this success has been 11 year old Maddux Maple, who was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of five. From humble, and often rough, beginnings in Uhrichsville, Ohio, the pair made a pact. If Maddux promised to beat his cancer, Garbrandt would stay out of trouble and make his way into the UFC. Remarkably, both sides have held their ends of the bargain - Maddux's cancer is in remission, and Garbrandt has gone on to be one of the organisation's fastest rising stars.
At 11-0, Garbrandt is being talked about as the next Conor McGregor - but is that fair? Outside of Cruz, he has yet to be fully tested in the upper echelons in the bantamweight division. But perhaps TJ Dillashaw is the litmus test. The division certainly suffers from a lack of legitimate challengers at present, so a win over his greatest rival would solidify Garbrandt's legacy as a true champion at 135.
This is being touted - by both of the fighters involved - as the true main event. Do you agree? And how do you think the fight is going to go? Get in touch either in the comments or @TheWeighInMMA to share your thoughts.
Showing posts with label Cody. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cody. Show all posts
Friday, 3 November 2017
Friday, 27 January 2017
MMA Awards 2017: The Case For... Cody Garbrandt
As breakouts go, coming from unranked to champion of the world in the space of 12 months is about as fairytale as it gets. As we entered 2016, Cody 'No Love' Garbrandt was just another promising UFC bantamweight fighter, travelling largely under the radar behind other young prospects like Thomas Almeida and Aljamain Sterling. Interestingly, at a UFC 199 press conference, then champ Dominick Cruz insisted he knew nothing of the 24-year-old, stating that to him, Garbrandt was just another of the 'young kids on the block'.
Whether that statement was true or not, just six months later at UFC 207, Cruz was being comprehensively out-manoevered by the Alpha Male fighter on the way to a convincing unanimous decision defeat.
This was the end to another picture perfect year for No Love, racking up a 4-0 record during 2016. When compared to the other nominees, only Derrick Lewis can match his record, with Michael 'Venom' Page (3-0), Yair Rodriguez (2-0) both remaining unbeaten during the year. Meanwhile Doo Ho Choi, despite posting a contender for Fight of the Year, could only manage a 1-1 record during 2016, ultimately keeping him out of the running for this award.
So other than his record during the year, why does Garbrandt's rise stand out from his peers? Over the last 12 months, he has announced himself on the world stage on two separate occasions, starching the aforementioned Almeida in his first bout as headliner, before shocking the MMA universe to claim the belt from Cruz on December 30th. In comparison, both Bellator's Page and Rodriguez could only manage a once, with MVP hitting the headlines with his brutal flying knee knockout of Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos, while Rodriguez also executed a perfect flying technique of his own against Andre Fili at UFC 197.
Doo Ho Choi, the Korean Superboy, stood out for his fight against Cub Swanson, but with it ultimately ending in defeat, perhaps 2017 should be targeted as his breakthrough year. Similarly, Derrick Lewis remains in the mid-card of a rather weak UFC heavyweight division, with his only headline performance an underwhelming 4th round TKO victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov. With Travis Browne slated to be next for 'The Black Beast', next year could prove to be the one that makes his name.
When it comes to Garbrandt's key moments, while the power he displayed to knock out Almeida was impressive, it was the manner of his victory at UFC 207 that solidified him as not just a future star, but one for the present. Anyone who has watched a Dominick Cruz fight knows how elusive he is, and how unpredictable his movement has been in recent bouts, out-thinking both TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber to claim and retain the title.
However, when it came to the new Alpha Male prospect, Cruz found himself in an uncomfortable position from the word go. With Garbrandt seemingly unfazed by the high pressure environment, as well as the acrimonious build-up, which many believed would leave him emotional inside the cage, he demonstrated remarkable composure to not just live with the champion, but bamboozle him. His footwork and head movement were second to none, so much so that he was able to drop his hands and spawn a number of GIFs and Anderson Silva comparisons. Such was Garbrandt's success, he was able to dance, complete press-ups and taunt Cruz following a knock-down!
There is no doubt about his fighting technique, but if Garbrandt is lacking in any area, it's charisma on the microphone. Cruz made it perfectly clear in the build-up to UFC 207 that he didn't rate No Love's intelligence, and it's certainly true that in the current trend of sport and entertainment, Garbrandt offers far more inside the Octagon than outside.
But perhaps that isn't a bad thing. While he certainly generates conversations, both in real life and on social media, MVP's brash and cocky attitude also rubs many people up the wrong way. His disdain for opponents even after the event, particularly in the case of Cyborg Santos, whose skull he caved in with his knee, is seen as disrespectful. Likewise, the release of a dance video mocking Ronda Rousey's defeat to Amanda Nunes highlights the distasteful nature of his mental game. Ultimately, it sells fights, but Garbrandt has so far let his talking happen in the cage, and he seems to have done just fine!
Nevertheless, No Love has become one of the most exciting bantamweight fighters of all time, and it will be intriguing to see whether he excels in the role of champion as he did as the underdog. TJ Dillashaw, if that is to be his first defence, will certainly ask questions, but if he stays behind his hammer of a right hand, he will rapidly move from the 'Breakthrough' category to the headline one in no time at all.
Whether that statement was true or not, just six months later at UFC 207, Cruz was being comprehensively out-manoevered by the Alpha Male fighter on the way to a convincing unanimous decision defeat.
This was the end to another picture perfect year for No Love, racking up a 4-0 record during 2016. When compared to the other nominees, only Derrick Lewis can match his record, with Michael 'Venom' Page (3-0), Yair Rodriguez (2-0) both remaining unbeaten during the year. Meanwhile Doo Ho Choi, despite posting a contender for Fight of the Year, could only manage a 1-1 record during 2016, ultimately keeping him out of the running for this award.
So other than his record during the year, why does Garbrandt's rise stand out from his peers? Over the last 12 months, he has announced himself on the world stage on two separate occasions, starching the aforementioned Almeida in his first bout as headliner, before shocking the MMA universe to claim the belt from Cruz on December 30th. In comparison, both Bellator's Page and Rodriguez could only manage a once, with MVP hitting the headlines with his brutal flying knee knockout of Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos, while Rodriguez also executed a perfect flying technique of his own against Andre Fili at UFC 197.
Doo Ho Choi, the Korean Superboy, stood out for his fight against Cub Swanson, but with it ultimately ending in defeat, perhaps 2017 should be targeted as his breakthrough year. Similarly, Derrick Lewis remains in the mid-card of a rather weak UFC heavyweight division, with his only headline performance an underwhelming 4th round TKO victory against Shamil Abdurakhimov. With Travis Browne slated to be next for 'The Black Beast', next year could prove to be the one that makes his name.
When it comes to Garbrandt's key moments, while the power he displayed to knock out Almeida was impressive, it was the manner of his victory at UFC 207 that solidified him as not just a future star, but one for the present. Anyone who has watched a Dominick Cruz fight knows how elusive he is, and how unpredictable his movement has been in recent bouts, out-thinking both TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber to claim and retain the title.
However, when it came to the new Alpha Male prospect, Cruz found himself in an uncomfortable position from the word go. With Garbrandt seemingly unfazed by the high pressure environment, as well as the acrimonious build-up, which many believed would leave him emotional inside the cage, he demonstrated remarkable composure to not just live with the champion, but bamboozle him. His footwork and head movement were second to none, so much so that he was able to drop his hands and spawn a number of GIFs and Anderson Silva comparisons. Such was Garbrandt's success, he was able to dance, complete press-ups and taunt Cruz following a knock-down!
There is no doubt about his fighting technique, but if Garbrandt is lacking in any area, it's charisma on the microphone. Cruz made it perfectly clear in the build-up to UFC 207 that he didn't rate No Love's intelligence, and it's certainly true that in the current trend of sport and entertainment, Garbrandt offers far more inside the Octagon than outside.
But perhaps that isn't a bad thing. While he certainly generates conversations, both in real life and on social media, MVP's brash and cocky attitude also rubs many people up the wrong way. His disdain for opponents even after the event, particularly in the case of Cyborg Santos, whose skull he caved in with his knee, is seen as disrespectful. Likewise, the release of a dance video mocking Ronda Rousey's defeat to Amanda Nunes highlights the distasteful nature of his mental game. Ultimately, it sells fights, but Garbrandt has so far let his talking happen in the cage, and he seems to have done just fine!
Nevertheless, No Love has become one of the most exciting bantamweight fighters of all time, and it will be intriguing to see whether he excels in the role of champion as he did as the underdog. TJ Dillashaw, if that is to be his first defence, will certainly ask questions, but if he stays behind his hammer of a right hand, he will rapidly move from the 'Breakthrough' category to the headline one in no time at all.
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