‘He’s No Dominick Cruz’ – Cody Garbrandt Points Out Deiveson Figueiredo’s Weakness

Had it not been for a bicep tear, Cody Garbrandt would’ve already fought with Deiveson Figueiredo.

However, ‘No Love’ has to wait for his title shot a little longer. Even though Figueiredo is currently on a hot streak, Garbrandt feels he is still not comparable to Dominick Cruz.

Garbrandt is currently recovering from symptoms of COVID-19. He saw the main event of UFC 255 last- an event that he would’ve headlined had it not been for the injury. ‘No Love’ felt that the challenger, Alex Perez, who stepped in as his replacement, wasn’t ready for a title shot. In conversation with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, he said, “He [Alex Perez] wasn’t prepared for that shot. It felt like he was happy with being there.”

While Garbrandt credits the flyweight champ for being good on the ground, he still believes Figueiredo can’t match his caliber. The Brazilian is yet to be tested when fighting off the back foot.

“Figueiredo is good with jiu-jitsu. I come from a camp that I’ve never been submitted. My jiu-jitsu skills are far more superior in a lot of ways, I just don’t have to use them. If the fight… has to the ground let’s go.”

“When I wrestle, this dude can’t take me down. He can’t take me down, he can’t out-strike me. He’s flat-footed. He sits there in front of ’em, that’s when he bombs on ’em. I move too much. I am too quick in and out. A lot of these fighters don’t know how to fight going backward. They’re only pressure fighters.”

Cody Garbrandt has learned a lot since the fight with Dominick Cruz

When Garbrandt fought Cruz back in December 2016, he was an undefeated fighter with the sky as the limit for him. However, he fell from the top of the game after he lost three back-to-back fights. Having learned his lessons the hard way, ‘No Love’ now feels he has the necessary experience in the bag to take care of Figueiredo.

“My thoughts on this fight since it has been announced and it just kind of keeps resonating in my mind, it’s going to be like… how I fought Dominick Cruz. He is no Dominick Cruz. He is flat-footed. Dominick moves a lot. Very unorthodox. Throws punches and kicks at weird angles. So you always have to be up. And I’ve corrected a lot of my stuff. I’ve you know, I had to learn the hard way,” Garbrandt added.

Coming off a highlight-reel knockout win over Raphael Assuncao, Garbrandt nows eyes a title shot in his return to the Octagon. Having held UFC gold once already, he now wants to become a two-division world champ.

Read More: Cody Garbrandt Says He Tore a Vein in His Bicep- Reveals Multiple Problems Due to COVID