Former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt suffered a third consecutive loss Saturday after starting his career 11. Pedro Munhoz finished him with a first-round TKO in the UFC 235 “Fight of the Night.” Where does “No Love” go after being stopped with strikes yet again? MMAjunkie writers Mike Bohn, Ben Fowlkes and John Morgan provide opinions on the inaugural edition of “Triple Take.”
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Mike Bohn: Try to be the flyweight hero
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for Garbrandt (11-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), that could mean trying to start fresh in a new weight class – even if the long-term upside of that move has serious questions attached.
Prior to his back-to-back title-fight losses to T.J. Dillashaw, it was Garbrandt who was talking about moving down a division to challenge then-flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson in the hope of becoming a dual champ. The situation has changed in short order, though. The division is now on life support after current 125-pound king Henry Cejudo knocked out bantamweight titleholder Dillashaw in the first round at UFC on ESPN+ 1 in January.
The flyweight roster is rapidly shrinking with more fighters being axed from the UFC roster and fewer bouts being booked. UFC President Dana White has not yet officially announced the demise of the division, though, and that leaves an opportunity for Garbrandt to potentially serve as a savior.
Potential downsides for Garbrandt trying to cut to flyweight are obvious: Would his body negatively handle losing 10 additional pounds? How would his seemingly already sensitive chin hold up after a more strenuous weight cut? And, perhaps most importantly, what’s the point if the division won’t be around for long?
The upside, however, is that the risk could come with great reward. Garbrandt’s title aspirations at bantamweight are far off, and another loss in that weight class would put him into crisis. One quality win at flyweight over a Joseph Benavidez or name of similar value, though, could set up an easily promotable clash between Garbrandt and Cejudo. That’s a much quicker path back to prominence that what Garbrandt faces if he sticks around his current division.
Next page: John Morgan: Book a fight with John Dodson
John Morgan: Book a fight with John Dodson
Sure, the result at UFC 235 wasn’t the outcome Garbrandt was seeking, but I don’t buy the idea that “No Love” can’t still compete with the best at 135 pounds. Prior to the clash of heads that sent him toppling, Garbrandt was having some success on the feet and was even starting to show a little of the swag that made his signature win over Dominick Cruz so unbelievably incredible.
Garbrandt’s mental game was clearly refreshed ahead of UFC 235, as well, and booking a fight against another opponent who isn’t going to spend the eight weeks before the contest trying to get under his skin would be beneficial for the former champ.
Dodson would represent another opponent who is happy to stand and trade, which plays nicely into Garbrandt’s style, not to mention provides fans with the type of contests that are often capped off with $50,000 bonus checks. At 1-3 in his past four fights, Dodson has dealt with his own struggles as of late, so the timing likely works for both athletes, who are certainly hoping to right their ships.
I wouldn’t recommend rushing back to work – take a little time to let the brain rest, once again – but when Garbrandt is ready to get back at it, I’d put him in there against Dodson and take another look at the entire body of work before doing anything drastic.
Next page: Ben Fowlkes: Seek a new training environment, and see if you can’t find your waterfall
Ben Fowlkes: Seek a new training environment, and see if you can’t find your waterfall
You know what’s been Garbrandt’s undoing in each of his three recent losses? It’s not a lack of skill. Far from it. And it’s not a deficiency in the warrior-heart department. If anything, it’s exactly the opposite. When this guy gets struck a good blow, whether it’s a punch or a clash of heads, his instinct is to plant his feet and brawl. Which is usually when he gets knocked out.
Some people can make that strategy work. Some even thrive off it, defeating more skilled fighters by drawing them into a street fight. But Garbrandt’s chin hasn’t held up well in these sorts of firefights, and what he really needs is to stop sprinting straight into them.
The good news is, that is a learnable skill. And he has enough physical tools that he doesn’t need to go out there and swing from his heels. What he needs is fight IQ. And to work on that, maybe he should seek out some new coaches – maybe even at a gym where there’s less turnover at the top.
For complete coverage of UFC 235, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
