Cody Garbrandt is confident of his mental advantage over Deiveson Figueiredo in their upcoming fight at UFC 300, believing that a victory would put him back in title contention.
Cody Garbrandt’s got a hunch. He reckons he’s got the mental upper hand over Deiveson Figueiredo. And where’s this showdown happening? UFC 300, baby.
Saturday’s the day. The big day. Garbrandt and Figueiredo, toe to toe in the opening fight of a blockbuster pay-per-view. Four years in the making, this one. They were supposed to duke it out for the flyweight championship at UFC 255. But, life happened. Garbrandt got hit with COVID-19 and had to pull out.
Now, he’s back. Ready to face the former flyweight champ. Excited? You bet he is.
“I called him out,” Garbrandt said, all fired up at UFC 300 media day. “He doesn’t want this fight. Let’s get that clear.” He’s been thinking about this fight for a while. He was supposed to fight him four years ago. Then COVID hit. He had to focus on getting healthy. It’s been a grind, but he’s back.
Figueiredo’s second time at 135 pounds. He’s been taking shots at Garbrandt, talking about his struggles. Garbrandt? He thinks it’s a sign of weakness.
“He’s trying to sell the fight,” Garbrandt said. “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.”
Garbrandt thinks Figueiredo’s lacking confidence. Maybe he didn’t prepare like he needed to, so he’s trying to get into the head game. “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’s had his struggles. He’s a former bantamweight champ, but he’s lost five of his next six bouts after winning the title. But 2023 was a good year for him. He won back-to-back fights. He believes a win this weekend over a former champ comes with more than just a win bonus.
“Deiveson is a former world champ at flyweight,” Garbrandt said. “He’s ranked what, eighth in the division? 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.”