Powerful and Poised: The Redemption of Cody Garbrandt
At just 24 years of age, Cody Garbrandt created history when he beat Dominick Cruz via unanimous decision at UFC 207 to become the UFC bantamweight champion of the world. There was a lot of back and forth in the lead up to the ultimate showdown. Cody went all guns blazing at bantamweight GOAT Dominick Cruz who had scraped through a split decision victory over TJ Dillashaw in what was being dubbed as, the greatest comeback in the history of the sport. However, Cody didn't just talk the talk, he walked the talk.
Despite almost knocking out Dominick Cruz in the fourth round, Garbrand kept his composure. He played a safe and smart fight, something that was needed against someone like Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt's victory against Dominick Cruz had propelled him to the top of the division and had brought him stardom and fame. He had just beaten the greatest bantamweight of all time.
While he claimed how fame and pressure got the best of all his opponents, in retrospect, it became the reason for his downfall.
The fall of Cody Garbrandt
Cody Garbrandt would take on TJ Dillashaw in his first title defense. While the feud may not have garnered the media attention it deserved at the time, Garbrandt and Dillashaw carried a hatred that was more than just selling the fight. It was personal, and with the bantamweight title on the line, there was a lot of pressure behind it. There was no denying that Garbrandt was a tough match for TJ Dillashaw. Despite being less experienced than Dillashaw, Garbrandt possessed an impeccable striking game and had outsmarted someone as technical as Dominick Cruz. After almost a year since winning the championship belt, Garbrandt faced TJ Dillashaw at UFC 217.
Cody Garbrandt's reign didn't last long. After securing three back to back highlight-reel finishes, and going 5 rounds against Dominick Cruz, Cody fell prey to TJ Dillashaw's left hook which rose a lot of questions. Opinions and analysis poured in and Garbrandt found himself under the hammer of many media outlets.
When both the fighters met for the second time, fights fans believed they would be treated with a much sharper version of Cody. The same Cody Garbrandt who was quick on his feet, patient with his strikes, and truly impeccable in how he took the game forward. Alas, that wasn't the case. The guy everybody believed was the future of the division had succumbed to back to back loses, with the rematch being a first-round knockout at UFC 227.
A year later, he returned against rising prospect Pedro Munhoz. Despite the time off, Garbrandt made the same mistake. He went in for the kill with his chin up to exchange strikes. There was nothing wrong with the striking, he managed to hurt Pedro. The one thing it lacked, which was also the case in his last two fights against TJ Dillashaw - technique. Garbrandt lacked the same technique he had made all of us believe that he had mastered. Garbrandt's six-fight win streak inside UFC had come to a three-fight losing streak when Pedro Munhoz knocked out Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235 in the very first round.
The return of Cody Garbrandt
All the shine and stardom that Cody had achieved after his win over Dominick Cruz diminished with his back to back first-round knockout losses against Dillashaw and Munhoz. It took just two years for Garbrandt to come down falling from the heights that he had achieved at a very young age. Fight fans forgot his impeccable display against Dominick Cruz which snapped him of his decade long undefeated streak and started associating him with the absolute carnage that Dillshaw had made Garbrandt suffer, not just once but twice. The loss against Pedro Munhoz made it even worse. Anybody who saw the fights knew that it wasn't the Cody Garbrandt they had seen against Dominick Cruz. While it was clear that Garbrandt was an ace striker and was on the top of the division, it was the need of the hour he worked on his technique, and style.
And that's what happened. Cody Garbrandt returned to the octagon at UFC 250 against Raphael Assuncao. Garbrandt looked sharp and quick with his footwork. While many claimed that it had a lot to with Mark Henry in his corner, the mental adjustment that Garbrandt made should be only be credited to him.
Garbrandt's emphatic return to the octagon earned him his second Performance of the Night bonus award and propelled him once again to the title picture. Garbrandt knocked out Assuncao mere second away from the bell. In the process, he sent a chilling statement to the entire division about his return. He didn't get carried away after earning the first knockdown. Garbrandt looked in absolute control of his striking game and was as quick as a bullet when he delivered the punch that took down Raphael Assuncao. It wasn't just the return of the Cody Garbrandt who was an impeccable striker, it was the return of a much more efficient version of Cody Garbrandt.
Cody Garbrandt after the fight said, "I know I'm a skilled fighter. I'm fast, I'm strong, I'm technical, but I give these fights away."
It wasn't the same Cody Garbrandt who took on TJ Dillashaw, running in striking range and ignoring the reach advantage. He did not run in to get the knockout win and didn't look impatient as he had been in his last three fights. He was poised and powerful, and the punch with the sound of the bell that took down Assuncao announced the former champion's return to the octagon