MMASSIVEÂ ATTACK
Cody Garbrandt doesn’t lack for self-confidence. And hell, why would he? Dude is a serious badass. And a very, very, successful badass at that.
I WILL UFC YOU UP
Here’s the deal from MMAFighting.com:
Last year, Cody Garbrandt fought four times, scoring three first-round knockouts and then dancing his way to a wide unanimous decision over the greatest bantamweight fighter in history, Dominick Cruz, to win the 135-pound title. Garbrandtâs meteoric rise from prospect to champion was one of the best years in recent MMA history, but apparently we ainât seen nothing yet.
Speaking with ESPNâs Five Rounds podcast recently, Garbrandt laid out his plans for the future which hopefully will include the man who won MMA Fightingâs 2016 Fighter of the Year award, Conor McGregor. Garbrandt says that he would love to box McGregor in the future and that he would âknock the f**k outâ of the UFC lightweight champion
âI think going in a boxing ring with Conor would be great, or in MMA. . . No ill will towards the guy but I actually believe Iâm a better boxer. I feel like Iâm one of the best boxers in the UFC.
“I’ll go in there and knock Conor the f**k out in a boxing ring, just to be honest. There’s no difference, southpaw, orthodox, that guy could come out and fight on his hands for all I give a f**k. I would knock him out, that’s it. I have the best boxing in the game, in the UFC, and Iâm ready to showcase it on another level.â
McGregor’s lucrative bout with Floyd Mayweather this summer opened the floodgates for MMA fighters to begin seeking their own excursions into boxing. Garbrandt himself began his combat sports career as an amateur boxer before fully committing to MMA and he is regarded as having some of the best boxing in the UFC already. His dominant decision victory of Cruz was done almost entirely with his boxing skills.
But before he can begin working on a way to show McGregor those skills in person, Garbrandt has to settle unfinished business with former teammate and training partner T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217. The bantamweight champion says that his first title defense will be a stepping stone to elevate him to even greater opportunities, either McGregor or other top fighters, be they in MMA or in boxing.
CONOR’S RESPONSE
We reached out to McGregor to see if he had any comment. Here was his response:
Fans, we can only salivate and wait.