UFC Predictions: UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt Predictions & Picks
The UFC returns to its APEX facility this weekend for UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt.
UFC Vegas 27 features a major bantamweight main event between two highly ranked contenders, as well as numerous other fascinating fights.
It may not be as big with the casual fans as the recent UFC 262 card, but this one should still be worth watching.
Here are the predicted outcomes for UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt.
#1 UFC bantamweight division: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt
With current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling on the shelf and still waiting for his rematch with former champ Petr Yan, the title picture in the division is up in the air.
That means that for Font and Garbrandt – ranked #3 and #4 respectively – the stakes are very high in this fight.
An impressive win for either man could see them leapfrog top contender Cory Sandhagen for the next title shot, particularly as the Sandman’s fight with TJ Dillashaw is still yet to happen.
So who will take this one?
Garbrandt is, of course, the more widely recognizable fighter. A former UFC bantamweight champ in his own right, No Love hit a bad skid after losing that title to TJ Dillashaw in 2017.
He ended up losing three straight fights by KO. Garbrandt only got back on the winning track last year with his knockout of Raphael Assuncao.
Essentially, Garbrandt is a genuinely fantastic striker with a solid wrestling background that allows him to keep a fight standing. After all, who else was able to outstrike Dominick Cruz in the way he did?
However, the Dillashaw fights brought to light a major flaw in Garbrandt’s style. He’s a great striker, but only when he can remain emotionally stable in a fight. And when he brawls, his chin isn’t good enough to allow him to succeed.
Dillashaw clearly got into his head, and so it came as no surprise when Garbrandt threw his gameplan out of the window. He was drawn into a brawl and found himself outgunned.
More worrying was his fight with Pedro Munhoz. That fight was about as far from a personal one as you’d find in the UFC. But after an accidental headbutt, Garbrandt saw red, started swinging wildly and quickly fell to a TKO loss.
So can he keep his head in the game against Font?
Well, one thing’s for certain. Font isn’t likely to make this fight a personal one. In fact, it’s hard even to recall the Boston native talking any trash.
However, Font is one of the more dangerous strikers in the UFC bantamweight division.
Standing at 5’8” and boasting a 71.5” reach, Font uses that length to great effect inside the octagon. He’s won eight UFC fights, picking up knockouts in five of them. Font most recently took out former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes.
However, Font hasn’t been infallible in the UFC. He’s lost three fights, all largely due to an inability to really keep a smarter fighter at distance.
Basically, then, this fight should come down to whether Garbrandt can quickly get to grips with Font’s reach, get inside and land the bigger shots on him.
No Love is definitely the more credentialed striker in this fight, but whether he can get inside Font’s reach without getting hurt is another thing. If Garbrandt does get hit, there’s every chance he’ll react badly and start swinging.
And to be frank, the likelihood is that would get him knocked out.
This one could go either way, but the pick is Font via a second-round KO.
The Pick: Font via second-round KO