5 reasons why Cody Garbrandt's move to 125lbs at UFC 269 may be a mistake

#2. Cody Garbrandt’s speed may be nullified at 125lbs

Cody Garbrandt's speed was a huge advantage for him at 135lbs

While Cody Garbrandt gained popularity and success at 135lbs due to his boxing skills and knockout power, the truth is that a lot of that was made possible by his speed.

‘No Love’ usually enjoyed a major speed advantage over his opponents in the bantamweight division. He was able to dodge and outstrike arguably the trickiest kickboxer in bantamweight history, Dominick Cruz, in their title bout and most recently, used that speed to knock out Raphael Assuncao in brutal fashion.

In fact, his only losses came at the hands of a fighter with an extreme reach advantage (Rob Font) and in fights that saw Garbrandt too willing to embrace a wild brawl. Nobody at 135lbs was able to really beat ‘No Love’ for speed.

At 125lbs, though, that advantage is likely to be nullified. The UFC’s bantamweights might seem quick, but their flyweight equivalents are far quicker, with fans and observers often stunned by the speed at which these smaller fighters can operate at.

Some of the UFC’s bantamweights, Assuncao amongst them, could be considered plodding, but the same cannot be said for any of the 125lbers.

So if Cody Garbrandt is used to having a speed advantage, he may well be in for a rude awakening at 125lbs. In fact, this could prove to be a factor this weekend, as Kai Kara-France is an extremely fast fighter in his own right.

Overall, his move to 125lbs may well cost ‘No Love’ one of the biggest advantages he usually enjoys over his opponents.

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#1. Cody Garbrandt’s problems at 135lbs were not caused by his size

Cody Garbrandt's issues at 135lbs came from his penchant for brawling, not because he was undersized

Sometimes, it makes sense for a fighter to move down in weight, particularly if their problems in the heavier class are being caused by a lack of size and power.

Demetrious Johnson, for instance, was a fantastic fighter at 135lbs. However, ‘Mighty Mouse’ hit a brick wall against Dominick Cruz in his UFC bantamweight title challenge and found himself largely ragdolled by ‘The Dominator’.

Therefore, it made perfect sense for him to move to 125lbs, where he would no longer be outsized and overpowered by larger foes.

Cody Garbrandt, on the other hand, has never been physically dominated at 135lbs during his UFC career. Sure, he was outstruck by the lanky reach of Rob Font, but few other bantamweights possess such length as the Boston native.

Outside of that, though, none of Garbrandt’s problems were caused by his size. Instead, they came from his tendency to lose his cool in the octagon and engage in a wild brawl, exposing his questionable chin in the process.

Will his move to 125lbs get rid of that issue? The honest truth is no. Sure, he might hope to be the larger, more powerful fighter at flyweight, but then that was the case for him a lot of the time at 135lbs.

Overall, this move seems like a snap decision that might make sense on the surface, but it won’t solve Cody Garbrandt’s overall issues and may well provide him with more in the long run.