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UFC president Dana White has finally revealed why former bantamweight title-holder Cody Garbrandt has been granted a flyweight title shot against reigning champion Deiveson Figueiredo despite the former never having competed in a flyweight contest.
Cody Garbrandt will be skipping ahead of a host of top contenders in the flyweight division when he gets the imminent title shot. Cody Garbrandt will be attempting to cut to 125lbs for the first time in his life when he goes up against Figueiredo in a fight that is expected to headline UFC 255 on November 21. The co-main event of the card features an intriguing contest between reigning champ Valentina Shevchenko and Jennifer Maia for the women’s flyweight title.
Speaking to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Dana White gave reasons as to why Cody Garbrandt was granted a flyweight title shot ahead of legitimate contenders such as Brandon Moreno, Alex Perez, and Askar Askarov who have fought and proved themselves worthy of competing for the title in the 125lbs division.
“Well he wanted to, he wanted to move down, he wanted to move down in weight and he wanted to take that opportunity and we loved it,” White said of Garbrandt. "So we did it. It will be a fun fight.”
Well, even though Cody Garbrandt has no prior experience of fighting at flyweight, it goes without saying that he is definitely one of the most crafty boxers in the UFC and pitting him against Figueiredo makes for a potential barnburner. Both fighters are well known for possessing knockout power and are coming on the back of huge wins.
Figueiredo destroyed perennial contender Joseph Benavidez to capture the vacant flyweight title while Cody Garbrandt delivered a highlight reel KO against Raphael Assuncao. Cody Garbrandt is a big name in the ranks and it's not very difficult to guess that the UFC granted him a shot at the title to cash in on his popularity but that doesn't mean that the lad isn't capable of causing a major upset on his flyweight debut.
