No Love for Deiveson Figueiredo
By Eddie Sanchez
Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt was vocal for weeks about his ability to cut an additional ten pounds to compete for the Flyweight title. He is a former Bantamweight Champion that is coming off of a devastating knockout victory over Raphael Assuncao, which is especially significant because prior to this victory, he had suffered three straight knockout losses to Pedro Munhoz and TJ Dillashaw (2).
Twitter went absolutely nuts when Cody landed this shot. The fans were especially appreciative after the rough stretch he went through. Despite being ranked #3 in the Bantamweight division, he is signed and ready to take on Deiveson Figueiredo (19-1) at UFC 255.
The reaction from the MMA community was fairly mixed. There was a large group that thought that Dana would not sign off on this match because of the number of Flyweight contenders waiting for an opportunity, it’s also thought that Deiveson is bad matchup for Cody, but despite the side of the fence you sit on, it’s clear that this is a fight that most are generally excited for.
There are many times fighters are placed in crossroad situations, but this is the best way to explain what Cody is up against, especially when considering the variance between each outcome.
If No Love exits the cage unsuccessfully, he will have lost four out his past five fights and his status as a top draw would be incredibly damaged. UFC fans are more forgiving of losses than most, but still, his aspirations of being one the UFC’s brightest stars would likely be gone.
Alternatively, if he wins this fight, he will join elite company as a two-division champion. Currently that list includes Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Conor McGregor, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes and Henry Cejudo.
Cody being able to add his name to that elite company would be an amazing achievement and would truly make him a blockbuster star. If this were to happen, he would likely be able to challenge for the Bantamweight championship for the opportunity to be a true champ-champ, or it could set him up for a massive PPV opportunity with Sean O’Malley.
If you were to catch Dana White a few drinks into his night and run through this particular set of scenarios, it’s likely that this would be the dream for these two weight classes.
As always though, we must take these scenarios one step at a time. This first step happens to be a big one. The opening odds stand at Deiveson Figueiredo -200, Cody Garbrandt +170.
Deiveson is a very active striker with great power for his weight class. His aggressiveness offensively is further compounded by his wrestling abilities. This could cause Cody some initial trouble if he lacks discipline and reverts more towards the style he fought against TJ Dillashaw.
In those fights Cody was far too aggressive and left himself open for counters when he overestimated the damage he caused. Cody represented himself as a more technical and disciplined fighter against Assuncao, and he will need to continue with this measured approach.
We will likely see initial fireworks from both sides, but Cody will work to keep Deiveson honest with leg kicks and lateral movement. Although Cody is the underdog, I feel his natural size advantage will come into play and help him absorb shots and punish his opponent.
We have a fair amount of time until UFC 255, so it will be interesting to see how both fighters look in their training leading to this championship.
What are your thoughts on this matchup? Will Cody become the next two-division champion?
