Tag Archives: Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt vs. T.J. Dillashaw Odds and Prediction

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Cody Garbrandt defends his UFC bantamweight title for the first time against former champion and ex-teammate T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217 on November 4th, 2017 at the Madison Square Garden in New York.

No Love Lost

Garbrandt’s nickname is ‘No Love’ and there is absolutely no love lost between these two former Team Alpha Male teammates. It can be recalled that Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male during his peak and title reign while Garbrandt won the belt from Dominick Cruz, the man who narrowly defeated Dillashaw in 2016.

These two former friends and now bitter rivals were originally slated to fight at UFC 213, but after Garbrandt suffered a back injury in May, it was rebooked for the MSG event on November 4th, 2017. It may no longer be the main event of its new schedule but it’s a fight that could steal the thunder from the entire event.

Both fighters have expressed their intention to book a superfight with UFC flyweight king Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson so that should be an added motivation to win this fight. More than that, though, it’s pride and hate that drives these two elite bantamweights against each other.

Recipe For A Classic

The champion Garbrandt is the obvious favorite (-185 at Bovada) against the ex-champion Dillashaw, who is currently at +150. It doesn’t get any better than this. These are two of the best fighters in the bantamweight division and they absolutely hate each other.  You can’t really find a better recipe for a UFC classic.

Dillashaw has the longer reach and the versatility as a fighter but Cody Garbrandt has the edge in power and athleticism. Both fighters can push the pace for five rounds – no doubt about that – so this could very well go the distance.

In terms of numbers, Dillashaw has the edge, as he lands 5.38 significant strikes per minute, compared to Garbrandt’s 3.58. He also has the slight edge in accuracy at 41% vs 37%.

T.J. also has the better grappling stats with an average of 1.8 takedowns per 15 minutes as compared to Garbrandt’s 1.19. But the most important stat in this match should be Garbrandt’s 82% knockout ratio.

Power is Difference Maker

The champion has stopped 9 of 11 opponents with three of his last four victories coming by way of first round knockout. No doubt Dillashaw is an elusive target who is hard to hit much more knock out, but the same was said of Dominick Cruz before Cody Garbrandt pick Cruz apart at UFC 207.

Garbrandt has shown few weaknesses so far but Dillashaw being a former teammate may know some things that we don’t which he can exploit. Otherwise, it’s hard not to pick Cody Garbrandt in this match-up.  Dillashaw might want to take this fight to the ground to negate Cody’s power punches but Garbrandt has superb takedown defense.

On the feet, this should be an equal battle but Garbrandt’s power should be the difference maker here. We’re going with the champion Cody Garbrandt to win by a close unanimous decision.

UFC 207: Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt Odds and Prediction

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UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz takes on the dangerous Cory Garbrandt at the co-main event of UFC 207 on December 30th, 2016 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The return of Ronda Rousey should continue to dominate headlines, but it’s quite arguable this is actually the title fight die hard MMA fans will be looking forward to.

Dominator

Known as the Dominator, Dominick Cruz has long been the barometer of the bantamweight division. However, successive knee injuries forced him to relinquish his title in 2014. And after several failed comeback attempts, Cruz made a successful return to the top of the division with a close decision win over T.J. Dillashaw in January of this year. Dom went on to successfully defend the belt with an easy decision win over Urijah Faber at UFC 199.

Cruz’s opponent is a product of Faber’s Team Alpha Male. Cory Garbrandt has been knocking out opponent after opponent to earn his first title shot. The 25-year old Ohio native has knocked out 9 of 10 opponents in an unbeaten MMA career. Garbrandt has knocked out his last three opponents in the first round. In his most recent fight, he stopped Takeya Mizugaki in the opening minute of their bout. Garbrandt has the power to knockout any opponent. But he has never faced one quite like Dominick Cruz.

Evasion over Aggression

The champion opened as a more than 2-1 favorite at -225. The lines haven’t changed much at -220 for Dom and +180 for Cory Garbrandt. Dominick Cruz is hard to hit but he isn’t unhittable. And it only takes a few punches from Cory Garbrandt to knock the living daylights out of you. So, you can’t really say No Love has no chance. But if Garbrandt can’t connect early or score that dreaded first round KO, it’s hard to imagine him going five rounds with a maestro. Garbrandt has never seen a round 4 or 5 before and Cruz is going to show him what they’re like.

Cruz will dictate this fight with his angles. He is going to stick and move and make Garbrandt miss like he’s never missed before. In short, Cory Garbrandt’s aggression may be no match for Dom’s evasion. And not only is Cruz going to make him miss, but the Dominator is going to counter him all night, as well. Cory may be powerful but T.J. Dillashaw is much quicker and faster. If Cruz beat a prime T.J. Dillashaw, there is no doubt he is going to school Cory Garbrandt. After a wild first round, it an easy decision win here for Dominick Cruz. He’s got to change his monicker though from Dominator to Decisionator.

UFC 207 Rumors: Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt to Fight For Title?

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Cody Garbrandt may have leapfrogged ahead of the Top 5 bantamweights all the way to a title fight with Dominick Cruz.

That’s because according to the latest MMA news, Garbrandt is the front runner to get the next crack at the Dominator. The bout was first reported by Ariel Helwani:

What Rankings?

Ranked 6th in the UFC’s bantamweight title following his win over Thomas Almeida last May, Garbrandt may have talked his way to a title shot. There is no doubt that Garbrandt’s had an impressive 2016 with three wins and three first round knockouts. But more than his fight resume, it was his back and forth trash talk with Cruz that’s made this bout a story.

Aside from Garbrandt, top ranked bantamweights like T.J. Dillashaw, Jon Lineker and Bryan Caraway all deserve a shot at the bantamweight gold. But in the tradition of Bisping-Hendo 2 at UFC 204 and McGregor vs Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, the fight that made the most financial sense got the nod.

Dominator Once More

After a long struggle with injuries, Dominick Cruz returned earlier this year to capture the title he never lost inside the Octagon. Cruz bested erstwhile champion T.J. Dillashaw in a surgical five rounder. The Dominator then followed that up with a win over rival Urijah Faber at UFC 199.

Before those two victories, Cruz fought just once from 2012 to 2014 because of different and recurring injuries. But Cruz set his sights on regaining his old title and did so in what experts call the Greatest Comeback story in MMA history.

Garbrandt is an immaculate 5-0 with 5 KOs in the UFC. Without doubt, his biggest win came against  the highly touted Thomas Almeida in the main event of UFC Fight Night 88. Garbrandt is one of the division’s hardest hitters but the question is if he can find his target.  Dominick Cruz’s hit and run style may not be a good fit for Garbrandt, who loves to brawl.

Year End Extravaganza

The bout is reportedly being worked out for UFC 207 on December 3th0, 2015 UFC 207 will be headlined by the women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Amanda Nunes and the comebacking Ronda Rousey. It will mark Rousey’s first octagon appearance since losing by knockout to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

The UFC typically ends the year big with an explosive final event. Rousey’s return will be big enough to do that. Adding Cruz vs. Garbrandt would be icing on the cake for they UFC’s year ender.