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Cody Garbrandt believes he has the mental edge over Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300.
On Saturday, Garbrandt fights Figueiredo in the opening fight of Saturday’s blockbuster pay-per-view. It’s a fight nearly four years in the making, as the two were previously booked to face each other for the flyweight championship at UFC 255. Garbrandt was ultimately forced to withdraw from that bout due to COVID-19, but now he has his chance to face the former flyweight champion, and he couldn’t be more excited.
“I called him out,” Garbrandt said at UFC 300 media day. “He doesn’t want this fight. So let’s get that clear. It’s a fight that’s been in my mind for a while. I was supposed to fight him four years ago. Obviously I got COVID really bad, had to pull out of the fight and focus on getting healthy. It’s been an uphill grind to get back to this point. But I stuck true to myself, believed in myself through the ups and the downs, the adversity, what life throws at you, and everything comes full circle. We’re here fight week, and I’m more excited for this fight now than when it was scheduled in the past.”
This is Figueiredo’s sophomore outing at 135 pounds, and ahead of the fight, the former flyweight champion took shots at Garbrandt, citing his struggles over the past few years.
To Garbrandt, that’s just a sign of weakness.
“Truly, he’s trying to sell the fight,” Garbrandt said. “And also, I’ve been there. I’ve been where I had to talk, where I wasn’t mentally prepared to go in there. I’m always ready to fight physically. Mentally it’s the biggest thing. …
“I’ve been there where maybe he lacks a lot of confidence. Maybe he didn’t prepare like he needed to, so he’s trying to get into the head game. That’s maybe his out. [He’s thinking], ‘I’ll get in Cody’s head, I’m going win this fight.’ If that’s what he’s going off of to be victorious on Saturday, he’s going to have a long night ahead of him.”
Garbrandt is a former bantamweight champion, but he’s struggled the last few years, losing five of his next six bouts after winning the title. He rebounded in 2023, winning back-to-back fights, and he believes that a win this weekend over a former champion comes with a bigger reward than just his win bonus.
“Deiveson is a former world champion at flyweight,” Garbrandt said. “He came up, he’s ranked what, eighth in the division? I think rankings are a bunch of bulls*** anyway, but he’s eight, so he’s in the rankings. That will be three fights in a row for me. I’m going to knock him out on Saturday. That puts me right back in title contention where I belong.”
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