Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is officially set to the Octagon, and he’ll do so with a different look than we’re used to.
Garbrandt will make his return when the UFC touches down in Atlanta, Georgia on June 14. His opponent this time around will be a fellow veteran in Raoni Barcelos. The bout was first announced by Barcelos himself.
It will be a crucial fight for Garbrandt.
The popular striker famously captured the UFC bantamweight belt with a stunning upset against Dominick Cruz in 2016. He looked poised for an incredible title reign after that, but ultimately lost the belt in his first defense, suffering a KO loss to TJ Dillashaw. He then lost a rematch with Dillashaw — also by a KO — and unfortunately the hits kept coming, as he was knocked out again by Pedro Munhoz right after.
From there, Garbrandt got back on track with a stunning KO of Rafael Assuncao. However he then lost back-to-back fights. First, he lost a decision against Rob Font, and later by knockout against Kai Kara-France at flyweight.
After his disastrous trip to flyweight, Garbrandt returned to 135 pounds, and things began to improve. In his first two fights back in the division, he beat Trevin Jones by decision and Brian Kelleher by KO. However he then lost his next and most recent fight, tapping out to former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 last year.
With such a hot-and-cold run behind him, Garbrandt really needs to get a win-streak going. He’ll look to do that against Barcelos, who is fresh off a hype-derailing run against formerly unbeaten prospect Payton Talbott.
As we said, Garbrandt will make his comeback with a new look. In fact he’s almost unrecognizable.
First and foremost, he is now rocking a sword tattoo over his eye. However, he has also grown his hair out — to the point that he’s wearing it in corn rows. See his new look in the Instagram post above, captured from his recent social media posts.
Needless to say, he will look like a different fighter at UFC Atlanta. Let’s see if competes like a different fighter too. If his opponents have figured out his game — and it seems they have — that might be the key.
Was not a big fan when he first arrived. His performance in the title fight against Dom was unforgettable though. He has grown on me as the underdog and now I find myself cheering for him
