During the period of time between 2017 and 2021, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt went through a challenging period in his career.
After losing three consecutive fights, Garbrandt went on to lose two more fights, with a single victory wedged in between the three defeats he suffered at the hands of Raphael Assuncao. A number of fights were fought, including two title battles versus T.J. Dillashaw, and despite the results, there were some fighting performances.
In a conversation with Marc Raimondi of ESPN Mixed Martial Arts, Garbrandt reminisced on the challenging period of time. He was unable to concentrate, according to ‘No Love,’ which indicated that his mental health had also taken a toll on him:
I believe that I am able to recall those conflicts and the cerebral, sometimes bodily, and most definitely emotional state that I was in at the time. And there are times when I didn’t care what happened during the battles. Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the outcome of the situation. You come out on top? Incredible. Your defeat? To be honest, I was just not there. I don’t know what the best phrase is to describe it, but I just wasn’t there. Within the Octagon, I was occupied with the tasks that I needed to complete. I had a difficult time putting away the things that I didn’t even have to be doing at the time.
In addition, Cody Garbrandt provided a list of the numerous aspects that are taken into consideration when battling inside the octagon:
When everything is revealed, you know, that’s when it happens. Your worries, your hopes, and everything else that you have inside of that octagon. Why is a man standing just across from you, attempting to take everything away from you? You are aware that there are a great deal of feelings that are contained within that octagon and that are leading up to it. That puts everything on full view. There is a sense of it. You can sense it. In order to move your head out of the lane, you need to fight the mental war that is going on within your head. It is necessary for you to use more effort and hurl more jabs. All of those things end up being brought to light throughout the second and third rounds.
Cody Garbrandt envisions future matchup with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley
After suffering five defeats in his previous six bouts, Cody Garbrandt has been able to recover a bit in 2023, as evidenced by his two consecutive victories.
Once again, he intends to compete for the title in the not-too-distant future against Sean O’Malley, who is a prominent figure in the UFC. Additionally, he made a reference to their past in the interview that he gave to ESPN Mixed Martial Arts. He stated that the fight will be a significant financial success.
Before UFC 269, the two engaged in a verbal altercation with one another.
As Garbrandt put it:
A crash course with Sean [O’Malley] is something that I believe will take place in the not too distant future. What we are dealing with here is a battle about financial matters. When it comes to these bouts, what is likely to get the most attention? We have a history together, and I would love nothing more than to go and bash Sean around.
