Latest news with #Garbrandt
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Payton Talbott welcomes progression against opponent like\u00a0Cody Garbrandt after UFC 317
LAS VEGAS – Payton Talbott met with MMA Junkie and other media members Saturday after his unanimous decision upset win over Felipe Lima at UFC 317. Talbott (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) bounced back from the first loss of his career earlier this year against Raoni Barcelos, which was one of the biggest upset outcomes in UFC history. He outworked Lima (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) (UD) to open the pay-per-view main card at T-Mobile Arena. Afterward, Talbott said with the weight of his first loss gone, he's ready to make some leaps at bantamweight. 'I think this is probably the biggest win (of my career),' Talbott said. 'It makes me feel the most like a fighter that I've ever felt. … I feel like I'm kind of back on track, and that's what's most important to me. The weight's been lifted off my shoulders, I proved something to myself and I'm just going to keep going with this momentum. 'I'm not scared of that fight (against Garbrandt). I said Adrian Yanez's name, but I heard he's working on something with somebody. I'm sure that fight will happen eventually. I'm not scared of anybody. I'm here to fight. I'm not ducking anybody. I'm sure at some point in my career, I'll want that rematch with Barcelos. But yeah – I'm down (for Garbrandt).' Check out Talbott's post-fight interview in the video above.
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Sean O'Malley comes to 'embarrassing' realization about Cody Garbrandt's new look
Sean O'Malley comes to 'embarrassing' realization about Cody Garbrandt's new look Sean O'Malley was definitely annoyed watching Cody Garbrandt fight this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 69. Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) said O'Malley "looked like sh*t" in his submission loss to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili earlier this month. "No Love" didn't rule out the possibility of a future showdown with O'Malley but wound up losing to Raoni Barcelos this past Saturday. O'Malley (18-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) threw shade at both Garbrandt's performance and new look, which was a very similar appearance to his own. "I saw Cody Garbrandt saying I looked like sh*t against Merab," O'Malley said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "That dude looked sharp in his fight. That's all I'll say. You know what was annoying? When I saw his hair was braided, and he's got those face tattoos, I was like, 'F*ck, that's how people see me.' It was just so embarrassing. Oh God, I need to f*cking get a new look. That was embarrassing. I was like, 'Holy sh*t.' That was an eye opener. I was like, 'God damnit it, that's how people probably look at me.' It was embarrassing." O'Malley and Garbrandt have been trading barbs for years and even had a heated exchange and faceoff during the UFC 269 pre-fight press conference in 2021. Both O'Malley and Garbrandt are on two-fight losing skids.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots
UFC on ESPN 69 takeaways: Ex-champs Usman, Namajunas, Garbrandt emerge in different spots What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta? Here are a few post-fight musings … 4. Malcolm Wellmaker is a problem Malcolm Wellmaker is a legitimate bantamweight prospect to watch, and he showed why with a highlight-reel victory over Kris Moutinho to keep his undefeated record intact. Although Wellmaker (10-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set up for this kind of moment in his home state of Georgia, it doesn't mean the result was a given. He still had to go out there and do it, and he did so in absolutely spectacular fashion. It was clear that Wellmaker had something special in him when he emphatically earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series. That was back in August, and all he's done in the 10 months since is earn two first-round face plant knockouts in the UFC, both of which got him Performance of the Night honors. Nice start for the 31-year-old. 3. Cody Garbrandt's future Cody Garbrandt fought valiantly against Raoni Barcelos in their bantamweight bout, but ultimately he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision and is now 3-7 in his past 10 fights. At this point, it's probably best to understand that Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is who he is. He can beat UFC-level fighters and even be highly competitive with the upper tier on the right night, but anyone expecting him to recapture the magic that saw him become UFC champion in 2016, is probably in for an eternal wait. There was a different level of intrigue coming into this fight when we thought Garbrandt was on the final bout of his UFC contract. However, he revealed at media day that he signed a new multi-fight deal, so unless the UFC re-negs and cuts him, we are going to likely see more of him being a familiar name at 135 pounds and perhaps not much more. 2. Can Rose Namajunas rediscover title glory? Rose Namajunas showed flashes of the brilliance that made her a UFC champion twice over in her win against Miranda Maverick, even if she didn't get the finish. Former two-time strawweight titleholder Namajunas (14-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC) claimed her third victory in five fight since moving up to women's flyweight in September 2023 when she outworked Maverick to a unanimous decision. A third-round knockdown sealed the deal in her favor, and that type of moment showed what "Thug" is truly capable of. Although she is only 32 and has just 20 professional fights, Namajunas has accomplished more than most fighters could dream. She wants to get another title in a second division, but 125-pounds is getting deeper and deeper by the day, and no matter how she tries to transform her body, it seems there are critical moments where her technique is overthrown by stronger and bigger opponents who are cutting more weight from bigger frames. We're not here to put a ceiling on Namajunas, though. In peak form, she can truly beat anyone on the women's side. The question, however, is how many more of those nights are left in her at this point. And she would probably agree with that sentiment. 1. How back is Kamaru Usman really? Kamaru Usman dug himself out of the trenches in a big way in the main event when he overcame naysayers, self-doubt and more to thwart Joaquin Buckley for one of the most critical victories of his career. Usman (21-4 MMA, 16-3 UFC) has been at the pinnacle of the sport that everyone chases for prolonged period of time, but then it all changed in seemingly the blink of an eye for the former long-reigning UFC welterweight champion, who found himself on a three-fight losing skid and as a betting underdog to Buckley, who was eager to take his spot. It wasn't happening on this night, however, because Usman brought Buckley's six-fight winning streak since dropping to 170 pounds to a halt by unanimous decision, and in the process showed he still has life as a contender in his own right. Usman appears to strongly believe he will be fighting for the title next against the winner of Jack Della Maddalena vs. Islam Makhachev. The likes of Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov and more will have something to say about that, but Usman is no doubt in a far better spot than he had been if this went the other way, and no matter what he should be proud to have fended off a member of the new guard when the general expectation was he wouldn't.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69 results: Raoni Barcelos struggles for takedowns, outworks Cody Garbrandt
UFC on ESPN 69 results: Raoni Barcelos struggles for takedowns, outworks Cody Garbrandt Raoni Barcelos gana por decisión unánime y consigue su tercera victoria consecutiva 💪 #UFCAtlanta — UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) June 15, 2025 It wasn't always pretty, but after he pulled off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history, Raoni Barcelos added a former champion to his resume. Barcelos (20-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) outworked ex-bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt (14-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) for a unanimous decision Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 69 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. The Brazilian won with a trio of 29-28 scores. Garbrandt came out swinging in a hurry and got inside a couple times in the first 20 seconds, only to have Barcelos briefly dump him to the canvas. That slowed Garbrandt down after his quick early pace, but 75 seconds in Garbrandt stung Barcelos with a punch and put him on the canvas. The former champ let the Brazilian back up, and they eventually tied up on the fence. Barcelos broke away with a knee. When Barcelos tried to wrestle a couple times, Garbrandt stuffed the takedown attempts, then went after some bigger offense and just missed with a couple that may have ended things. Garbrandt stuffed the first four of Barcelos' takedown attempts, but found himself on his back late after a scramble – and one that may have influenced the judges. Barcelos looked for a takedown early in the second, but Garbrandt stuffed him again. Barcelos threatened with knees along the fence after several scrambles, but midway through the second still was unable to get the fight to the canvas. Despite that, he controlled the pace without much resistance from Garbrandt, who was stuck on the outside fighting backward the bulk of the round. Barcelos appeared to be in control in the third until a late Garbrandt rally, but he never put enough together to be a true threat before the horn. Although Garbrandt stuffed 10 of Barcelos' 11 takedown attempts, defense wasn't enough. Barcelos won for the third straight time. Although he was a betting favorite Saturday, he was a massive underdog for an upset of Payton Talbott earlier this year. Garbrandt dropped his second straight. Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 69 results:
USA Today
11-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 69's Cody Garbrandt says Sean O'Malley 'looked like sh*t' in title fight loss
UFC on ESPN 69's Cody Garbrandt says Sean O'Malley 'looked like sh*t' in title fight loss ATLANTA – Cody Garbrandt is fully focused on getting back on track with a UFC on ESPN 69 win over Raoni Barcelos on Saturday, but if he gets it done, a big fight could await. Former UFC bantamweight champ Garbrandt (14-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) competes for the first time since UFC 300 in April 2024 when he takes on Barcelos (19-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at State Farm Arena (ESPN, ESPN+). It's an important bout for him, especially after recently signing a new multi-fight contract with the promotion. If Garbrandt can pull off something spectacular this weekend, as he has many times before, then it's hard not to consider a potential showdown with Sean O'Malley, who he once had a heated press conference exchange with and has since fired many verbal and social media shots toward. With O'Malley on a two-fight losing streak after consecutive title losses to champ Merab Dvalishvili, most recently at UFC 316 this month, it could be a potentially good time for the pair to settle their differences. "He should've kept smoking because he looked like sh*t," Garbrandt told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday's media day. "Whatever you have to do. Sometimes you lose and you try to reinvent yourself and find yourself. At the end of the day, you know who you are, you know what you've got to do. I know I'm one of the best fighters in the world. When you lose you've got everyone in your ear saying you've got to do this and you've got to do that. Just remember what got you there and who you are the end of the day. I think that's a huge fight and pay-per-view sale, Sean and I. But I'm focused on this fight this Saturday and then we'll let everything else fall in line." After dealing with some health issues including vertigo, Garbrandt, 33, said this is "the best I've felt in a while" due to mental and emotionally clarity. He hopes that translated into the octagon, because while his reign as champion is now many years ago and there's been many ups and downs since then, Garbrandt admits he doesn't have satisfaction with his career. "I'm a former world champion – yeah, that's great," Garbrandt said. "It's something that was amazing to accomplish, but it didn't fulfilled me. For me to be here, going through what I've gone through (with) the injuries, setbacks, losses – whatever you want to call it. To wake up every day and chase this dream, to push yourself to a limit and set goals inside of the fight career, it's something that wakes me up every day. It motivates me, it scares me and fills me with all different kinds of emotions to get in there and fight another man that's willing to do whatever to get the win."
