Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos prediction, pick, start time for UFC on ESPN 69
Cody Garbrandt and Raoni Barcelos meet Saturday on the main card of UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2025: 52-43-1
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos UFC on ESPN 69 preview
Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) will look to bounce back from a submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo last April at UFC 300. That result ended the momentum of back-to-back wins over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher. Since dropping the bantamweight title in 2017, Garbrandt has gone 3-5. ... Barcelos (19-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has put together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2019-20. He enters on the heels of a unanimous decision win over Payton Talbott, a fight in which he defied massive odds at the betting window. Prior to that upset, he submitted Christian Quinonez. Now, he'll get a heat check against a former champion.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos UFC on ESPN 69 expert pick, prediction
Serving as a solid matchup at 135 pounds is a showdown between two experienced fighters, Cody Garbrandt and Raoni Barcelos.
Despite steadily morphing into an amalgamation of Ryan Gosling's character in "The Place Beyond The Pines" and Waingro from "Heat," Garbrandt claims to be healthy and doing well ahead of this contest with Barcelos.
However, all joking aside, it can be hard to know exactly where Garbrandt is given his extensive list of health issues, ranging from vertigo to back problems (not to mention his concussion history that dates back to his amateur competitions).
Still, power is the last thing to go, and Barcelos, 38, is not beyond being sparked out at this point in his career. But with Barcelos being the fighter who has clearly done more wrestling and jiu-jitsu maintenance over recent years, I suspect that the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt could be one takedown away from exposing Garbrandt on the floor and changing the complexion of this fight.
Even though a knockout in either direction wouldn't shock me, I'll officially pick Barcelos by submission in Round 2.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos UFC on ESPN 69 odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the Brazilian fighter, listing Barcelos -205 and Garbrandt +164 via FanDuel.
Cody Garbrandt vs. Raoni Barcelos UFC on ESPN 69 start time, how to watch
Garbrandt and Barcelos are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 11:10 p.m. ET. The fight broadcasts on ESPN and ESPN+.
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