Former UFC star reveals path to victory for Cody Garbrandt in upcoming fight: "He can't afford to keep taking big KOs"
Josh Thomson has provided some advice for Cody Garbrandt ahead of UFC 285.
On March 4, Gabrandt looks to get back on track after losing his last two fights. The former bantamweight world champion will take on Trevin Jones on the UFC 285 preliminary card. During an episode of the Weighing In podcast, Thomson discusses ‘No Love’ needing a win by saying:
“Cody needs to get a win. He’s gonna have to utilize some wrestling, he’s gonna have to keep his chin tucked. I don’t know man. I don’t know if he’s in the same mental space he used to be in. That’s it, he can’t afford to keep taking big knockouts. His last fight wasn’t good when he fought Kai Kara-France.”
Garbrandt last fought in December 2021, losing in his flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France. ‘No Love’ decided to move on from his 125-pound experiment and return to bantamweight. Meanwhile, Jones also needs a win after losing his last three fights. Both fighters could be fighting for their jobs at UFC 285.
Watch Josh Thomson discuss Cody Garbrandt below:
Cody Garbrandt says he has a lot of fight left in him
Since defeating Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight championship, Cody Garbrandt has lost five of his last six bouts, including four by KO/TKO. There have been concerns about the 31-year-old taking too much damage, but he doesn’t plan on giving up. During the UFC 285 media day, ‘No Love’ had this to say about having gas left in the tank:
“I truly believe that I still have a lot of fight left in me. As long as the passion and the hunger is there, the sky is the limit.”
Garbrandt made his UFC debut in 2015 with a record of 5-0. The Ohio native went on to win five consecutive fights before putting on a near-perfect performance against Cruz to become a UFC champion. Although ‘No Love’ has struggled recently, it’s difficult for the MMA community to forget how good of a fighter he was at UFC 207.
Garbrandt vs. Trevin Jones goes down on March 4. UFC 285 will be headlined by Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane, with the vacant heavyweight championship up for grabs. The event takes place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.