UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt sees no reason a UFC 202 win shouldn’t get him a shot at champ Dominick Cruz, and he promises to make it a painful experience for “The Dominator.”
“He said he’s going to add to my concussion list,” Garbrandt said, referring to a recent Cruz interview with MMAjunkie Radio. “That says to me like he’s going to try to go in there and kill me. He wants to do that, so I’m definitely going to make him eat every one of his words. He’s going to be eating through a straw for a couple of months after we fight.”
Garbrandt (9-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is currently ranked No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings. He faces No. 11 Takeya Mizugaki (21-9-2 MMA, 8-4 UFC) at next week’s UFC 202 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The matchup serves as the featured prelim on the evening’s FS1 broadcast, following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and preceding the evening’s pay-per-view main card.
With a win, Garbrandt believes he deserves a title shot. Sure, July’s UFC 200 saw former champ T.J. Dillashaw earn a decision win over Raphael Assuncao and stake his claim for a rematch with Cruz (22-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC). But Garbrandt wasn’t all that impressed with Dillashaw’s win and believes if he can finish Mizugaki at UFC 202, registering three straight wins by knockout should be enough to get him a title shot.
“Raphael Assuncao was out for however long he was out, and T.J., he won the fight but didn’t really look impressive,” Garbrandt said. “I thought he just fought safe and fought to win. You put Raphael Assuncao in front of me, I knock him out. Same thing with T.J.
“(Cruz) got a title shot after beating Takeya, so why don’t I? I have had two straight first-round knockouts. I’m undefeated. I’m an exciting fighter. I’m the most talked about fighter in my division. I think that fight between me and Dominick stylistically is what people want to see. He knows that. … It’s hard to deny me. I’m going in there and knocking guys out and calling my shot and calling what round I’m knocking them out.”
Should Garbrandt deliver on his promise, an impressive stoppage of Mizugaki would go a long way toward the 25-year-old achieving his dream. And there’s no doubt that he’s caught Cruz’s attention, with the champ once pretending not to know who Garbrandt was but now openly discussing a possible matchup.
“Dominick Cruz is just adding fuel to the fire with his (expletive) talking,” Garbrandt said. “He wants to fight me; he’s going to get me. I’m next in line. I’m the most talked about fighter in the bantamweight division. I’m undefeated. I’m knocking guys out. He goes from UFC 199 and acting like he doesn’t who I am to where it’s like, alright, he’s mentally got to get ready to fight me because he knows it’s his next fight.
“He knows I’m the fight. I’m the most marketable fighter. I’m the fighter that everyone’s talking about in the division. I bring a lot to the table. He knows I’m a huge threat. He’s not dumb.”
First, of course, is Mizugaki. Garbrandt insists he’s not overlooking the Japanese veteran and is intently focused on the task at hand. But the ultimate goal remains the belt – and it seems Garbrandt would take special pleasure in taking it directly from Cruz.
“The words from him, man, I like that (expletive),” Garbrandt said. “I like (expletive) talking. I use it as fuel. I use it as, ‘Alright, I remember you saying this a couple of months back.’ I’m one fight closer to shutting Cruz’s mouth, so that’s exciting all in itself.
“You better hope that FOX keeps you with a job because I’m going to wire your jaw shut.”
