After one of the fastest ever rises to a UFC title, Ohio’s Cody Garbrandt is looking to get back on a win streak for the first time since 2016. A fantastic athlete, Garbrandt aggressively boxed his way to his shot at the belt, then put on a disciplined backfoot counter-punching performance against bantamweight great Dominick Cruz.
A major key to his victory over Cruz was his ability to neutralize Cruz’s wrestling game. In past breakdowns on Cruz, I’ve noted how his ability to threaten takedowns was the glue that held his game together.