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Despite faltering in his debut in the UFC flyweight division, former bantamweight kingpin Cody Garbrandt remains one of the more exciting and recognizable fighters in the UFC today.
There can be no doubt that the UFC will look to give Cody Garbrandt another big fight in the near future, but who should they match him with?
If they want him to recapture the luster that saw him defeat Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title in 2016, then they’ll have to match ‘No Love’ carefully. One more bad loss could well signal the end for the former bantamweight champion.
However, Garbrandt still has the talent to climb back to the top of the UFC should things fall correctly for him, making his next fight a make or break one.
With that considered, here are five potential opponents for 'No Love' following his latest setback.
#5. Cody Garbrandt vs. Brandon Royval
If Garbrandt chooses to remain at flyweight for his next fight, then one suitable opponent for him could be Brandon Royval, who picked up a big win at this weekend’s UFC fight night event.
Currently ranked No.5 in the division, Royval is definitely one of the most talented fighters in the division, despite a deceptive octagon record of 3-2.
After all, there’s no shame in losses to Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja. Moreover, ‘Raw Dawg’ holds a win over Kai Kara-France, who knocked out Garbrandt at UFC 269.
So would Royval be too dangerous an opponent for ‘No Love’ when you consider that victory, then? It’s a fair question, but it probably wouldn’t be the case.
While he does have a strong striking game built around a stiff jab, Royval is much more of a dangerous grappler than anything. While Garbrandt is not known for his submission skills, his takedown defense is excellent and he hits harder than anyone ‘Raw Dawg’ has faced before.
Not only would this fight make sense from a perspective of giving ‘No Love’ a winnable clash at flyweight, but it would also be a suitable reward for Royval’s excellent performance this weekend given Garbrandt’s high profile.
#4. Cody Garbrandt vs. Frankie Edgar
Given that he’s now 40 years old and has lost three of his last four bouts by knockout, many UFC fans would probably like to see Frankie Edgar hang up his gloves and step away from the octagon altogether.
However, ‘The Answer’ has yet to announce his retirement, so it seems highly likely that we’ll see him return to action at some point in 2022.
So could the former lightweight champion make a good opponent for Cody Garbrandt if he were to return to the bantamweight division? It might seem a little unfair to Edgar, but the answer is absolutely.
Despite his recent setbacks, Edgar remains a highly recognizable name in the UFC, as he’s obviously a former titleholder who has also headlined numerous events in the past decade or so. A win over him still carries a lot of clout, despite his downturn.
Secondly, his recent issues have all come against fighters who had exceptional striking skills, hit hard and could move very fast. All of those descriptions apply to Garbrandt, who, based on their recent bouts, would likely be favored to knock Edgar out.
In this case, it’s probably down to the UFC to consider which of these two fighters has more potential to make money for them in the future.
Naturally, at the age of 30, the answer is Cody Garbrandt. Meaning this fight could make plenty of sense.
#3. Cody Garbrandt vs. Alexandre Pantoja
After falling to defeat at the hands of Kai Kara-France in December, any dreams that Cody Garbrandt had of jumping straight into contention for the UFC flyweight title went up in smoke.
However, if he were able to defeat Alexandre Pantoja – who is currently ranked above Kara-France at No.3 in the division – then ‘No Love’ would immediately jump the queue and potentially line himself up for a shot at the champ.
Would this be a dangerous fight for Cody Garbrandt? Absolutely. Simply put, Pantoja is not just the dark horse of the flyweight division, but he’s probably one of the UFC’s most underrated fighters, period.
‘The Cannibal’ has excellent submission skills, powerful takedowns, and also hits extremely hard. His only recent losses in the octagon have come to former champ Deiveson Figueiredo and highly ranked contender Askar Askarov – and both fights were close.
However, Pantoja is not quite as fleet-footed as Kara-France, even if he probably hits harder than the Kiwi fighter. That means that against a hitter like Garbrandt, he’d be vulnerable.
Sure, this would be a massively tricky bout for ‘No Love’ to win, but if he could pull the victory off, then it’d erase the memory of his loss to Kara-France entirely.
#2. Cody Garbrandt vs. Sean O’Malley
If the UFC decides that rather than attempt to move Cody Garbrandt back into title contention, they’d rather use his big profile to build an up-and-comer, then the best fight to make would be a clash with Sean O’Malley.
‘Sugar’ is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, and has gone 7-1 in the octagon overall, picking up five knockout victories in the process. While he hasn’t really fought anyone of note yet, he’s arguably the hottest prospect in the 135lbs division.
O’Malley has promised 2022 will be the year he really looks to break out. If that’s the case, then he could do much worse than facing off with a former champion in Garbrandt.
However, this fight would not be impossible for ‘No Love’ to win. He’s far more proven than O’Malley in the octagon even if he’s suffered more losses over the years. Furthermore, judging by Garbrandt's 2020 win over Raphael Assuncao, he still hits remarkably hard.
Given that there have always been some questions around O’Malley’s durability, there’s a chance that Garbrandt could catch him cleanly with a big shot and end his hype train in the process.
When you add in the fact that these two fighters have already beefed on social media, it may well make sense for the UFC to simply make this fight in early 2022 and see where the chips fall.
#1. Cody Garbrandt vs. Dominick Cruz
One fight that could definitely make sense for Cody Garbrandt to return to the UFC bantamweight division with would be a rematch with the man he dethroned for the title back in 2016, Dominick Cruz.
At the time, it felt like we were witnessing a change of the guard in the division, as Garbrandt – the hot up-and-comer – used a surprisingly slick striking game to completely dominate the older Cruz.
However, just over five years after that clash, ‘The Dominator’ is actually on the better run in the octagon. He defeated Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz in 2021, looking the best he’d done for years, and now sits at No.7 in the division.
Despite his impressive 2021, though, it seems unlikely that Cruz will be making another run at the UFC bantamweight title at this point. If that’s the case, then why wouldn’t he take the opportunity to attempt to avenge one of his three career losses?
This would be a genuinely intriguing bout to make for a number of reasons. Could Garbrandt, who’s fallen on hard times, recreate the gameplan that allowed him to beat Cruz in 2016? Or could Cruz make the correct adjustments to win this time?
More to the point, with an impressive showing, could the victor find themselves back in line for a big fight that could lead all the way to the title?
Essentially, this would be a must-see bout and an easy headliner for the UFC, and it’d make sense for all parties right now.
