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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 06: (L-R) Cody Garbrandt battles Raphael Assuncao of Brazil in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 250 event at UFC APEX on June 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 06: (L-R) Cody Garbrandt battles Raphael Assuncao of Brazil in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 250 event at UFC APEX on June 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Cody Garbrandt could have ended 2020 as a UFC Champion once again. However, Cody had to pull out of his title fight against Deiveson Figueredo.
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The fight then went to Alex Perez, who was beaten by Fig. However, Fig now seems destined to rematch Brandon Moreno after the pair had a draw at UFC 256.
Garbrandt’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, endorsed Cody for a fight against Jose Aldo if he cannot re-book himself for the Flyweight title.
“I’m interested in Cody Garbrandt vs. Jose Aldo at 135 pounds. If the flyweight champ is available, 100 percent Cody is the No. 1 contender. That’s what Dana White says. If he’s not available, everybody is booked or coming from losses.
With the UFC targeting a flyweight title fight rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno, Cody Garbrandt's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, likes the idea of Cody vs Jose Aldo. How would you see that fight going?🤔
Source, MMA Junkie: https://t.co/duv2j1U3sY pic.twitter.com/lyZNYbDDXX
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) December 27, 2020
Ali added, “I think Cody needs a fight to get him up, and I think Jose Aldo is a fight to get him up. I think that’s a five-round fight, main event. Why not?”
Cody Garbrandt: What is his ceiling?
Abdelaziz also spoke about how good Cody could be. “A healthy, focused Cody Garbrandt is a very dangerous Cody Garbrandt. I think he can beat anybody on any given night, as long as he is healthy and focused, and I believe he matches up with the champ at 125 very well.
“I think he’ll knock him out. Stylistically, Cody is a very bad matchup for Petr Yan, too. To be honest with you, I think Cody, he fights Aldo, he wins, he goes down and fights at ’25 and then comes back and try to be a double champ.”
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LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 30: Cody Garbrandt (center) reacts to his victory over Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout during the UFC 207 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 30, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Cody indicating that he is willing to fight for multiple world titles through his manager is exciting. While ‘No Love’ has had tough times, he has an undisputable championship pedigree.
Hopefully, all these hopes are something that Garbrandt can fulfill this time around. He is in his prime, but should also be careful about how much stress he puts on his body with the dramatic cuts to make multiple divisions.