MMA trends to watch in 2018, Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt explains why he still has gas left in the tank ahead of UFC 285 comeback fight

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt explained why he still has gas left in the tank ahead of his UFC 285 comeback fight against Trevin Jones.

Fighting for the first time since UFC 269, Garbrandt returns to the Octagon for the first time since December 2021 when he was knocked out by Kai Kara-France in an ill-fated move down to the UFC flyweight division. The former 135lbs champion has been on a skid in recent years, with five losses in his last six outings overall, including five knockout defeats. Considering Garbrandt was at one point in time the best bantamweight fighter in the world, his downfall has been shocking to watch. But despite enduring a terrible losing skid and struggling not to get knocked out, Garbrandt is confident he will win at UFC 285.

The UFC matchmakers originally booked Garbrandt against Julio Arce, but when Arce pulled out with an injury, Jones stepped up instead. Jones is only 1-3, 1 NC in the UFC and is on a three-fight losing skid of his own, but his lone UFC win came by knockout over a solid prospect in Mario Bautista, and his No Contest was originally a knockout win over Timur Valiev before being overturned due to marijuana. So this is definitely a dangerous opponent for Garbrandt to face off against.

Still, “No Love” is confident that he can get his hand raised in this fight. Speaking to the media ahead of UFC 285, Garbrandt explained why he feels like he still has the gas left in his tank that he needs in order to get a much-needed win over Jones.

“This is the best I’ve felt in years. I’m excited to go out there and showcase my skills on Saturday. I’m a former world champion. I had that going on. I’m looking to rebound from the skid that I have going on. I understand that there’s ups and downs in life and just keeping the balance. I just need some momentum. You saw what momentum did in 2016. I went from unranked to world champion. All it takes is one fight at a time and then snowball effect, and I’ll make it back to the top,” Garbrandt said (via MMAjunkie.com).

Do you think Cody Garbrandt will defeat Trevin Jones at UFC 285?

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Adam Martin
MMA journalist, podcast host, and handicapper for MyMMANews.com, MMAoddsbreaker.com, and Bookies.com. MMAOB Daily Podcast host. Join me LIVE @ 5 pm EST every Monday for my live free podcast. Over 10 years of experience writing about MMA. I love this sport.