NEW YORK – The pursuit of a UFC championship belt is the driving force for nearly every fighter in the sport. Now that he has the UFC bantamweight belt, though, Cody Garbrandt said his passion is even stronger.
Garbrandt (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) has no shortage of motivation going into his first 135-pound title defense. He fights for the first time this year after suffering a back injury and returns to a highly anticipated grudge match with T.J. Dillashaw (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC).
The former Team Alpha Male teammates have a well documented feud that began when Dillashaw parted ways with the team. It’s been a tumultuous road to the fight, but Garbrandt said all the struggles were worthwhile.
“Three days until I put on my best performance and defend my title,” Garbrandt told reporters at today’s UFC 217 open workouts. “It’s exciting. It’s going to be worth it.”
UFC 217 takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Garbrandt, No. 1 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, meeting No. 3-ranked Dillashaw in the pay-per-view co-headliner following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
Although it’s been a lengthy break, Garbrandt still returns with some momentum on his side. The undefeated champion put on one of the all-time great title-winning performances when he dismantled Dominick Cruz for a unanimous decision at UFC 207 last December.
Garbrandt intends on picking up where he left off and ending his rivalry against Dillashaw with another one-sided performance.
“You can expect me to be better than ever before,” Garbrandt said. “I’m the most hungry fighter ever.
Source: mmajunkie
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