Cody “No Love” Garbrandt is ready to square off with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300, but not after replying to some criticism first. Ahead of the two former champs opening up the card, Figueiredo labelled Garbrandt as “mentally fragile” and media week has allowed him to fire back.
Former Champions Matched Up
Former UFC Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is matched up with former Flyweight champion Figueiredo on the UFC 300 prelims. The pair was previously linked up for a bout on UFC 255 for Garbrandt to challenge for Figueiredo’s belt. Yet, “No Love” withdrew from the bout due to a bicep tear. This fight led to a Figueiredo defense vs. Alex Perez. “God of War” followed with a quick turnaround vs. Brandon Moreno fight at UFC 256 to save that card.
The original matchup was set up to be Garbrandt’s first foray into the 125 division. Cody Garbrandt later dropped down to Kai Kara-France at UFC 269 where he fell to a 1st round KO. Since then, Garbrandt returned to 135lbs. Back home, Garbrandt rattled off 2 wins with a decision victory over Trevin Jones and a 1st round KO over Brian Kelleher. This time around, the pair are to meet at Garbrandt’s division for a former champion vs. former champion.
Figueiredo’s Take on Garbrandt
Ahead of the UFC 300 fight, Figueiredo spoke with Gulherme Cruz on the Trocacao Franca podcast to set the tone for what he expects. The 36-year-old Brazilian fighter informed Cruz that he believes Cody Garbrandt to be “mentally fragile, he doesn’t have a good head.”
“We see he hasn’t come back after a few losses right? You have to be a badass you need a strong mind to come back again. I think I’ll affect his mind by touching him.” continued Figueiredo on his opponent.
Figueiredo is referencing the discrepancy in his own resume and his opponent’s. Figueiredo amassed a 11-3-1 promotional record since his 2017 debut in the UFC octagon. In that span, “God of War” racked up 10 wins in the Flyweight division. In this run, he captured 2 reigns as UFC Flyweight Champion. Most recently, the former champion picked up a unanimous decision victory over Rob Font at UFC Austin in December 2023 in his Bantamweight debut.
Garbrandt’s Road Back
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Garbrandt experienced trials and tribulations since capturing UFC Gold in 2016. Winning the Bantamweight title at 25, Garbrandt upset Dominick Cruz before falling in 5 of his next 6 bouts. After taking a two year layoff, “No Love” returned in 2023, stacking up 2 victories. Now, he embarks on a fresh run to the title picture.
Meeting with MMA Junkie, Cody Garbrandt gave his response on being called “mentally fragile” by his UFC 300 opponent. “I’ve been there when you’re mentally weak and you don’t believe in yourself you have to speak more and try to get into your opponent’s head, I’ve been that person,” stated Garbrandt. However, the former Bantamweight champion expounded this critcism can be pointed towards Figueiredo’s way as well.
“He’s missed weight…that’s the biggest mentally weak block you could ever do, you have to make weight, you don’t make weight meaning you quit on yourself. You broke by yourself so he has to understand that he’s broke before, before even getting into the Octagon,” he included.
UFC 300 Stakes
UFC 300 is a card built for the ages. Despite both competitors being former champions and still within their primes, Garbrandt and Figueiredo find themselves opening the night. For “No Love,” the fight can slingshot him back into the Top 15 of the division’s rankings. Garbrandt has the chance to sink the “mentally fragile” claims to bed too. Meanwhile, #8 ranked Deiveson Figueiredo is poised to add another ironclad name to his 135lbs resume.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
