What is UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt's wrestling background?

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has always been known for his fearsome punching power. But he relied heavily on his wrestling against Rob Font at UFC Vegas 27.

Wrestling has always been in Cody Garbrandt's toolbox as he was a former NCAA Division Two wrestler in college.

'No Love' stopped wrestling after finishing as a runner-up in the National High School Coaches Association during his sophomore year. Despite not competing in wrestling during the last two years of high school, Garbrandt competed at the national tournament as a senior and finished fifth, claiming All-American honors. He received a scholarship with the Michigan State Spartans, but he ended up at Division II Newberry College due to academic reasons.

Cody Garbrandt recently left Sacramento-based gym Team Alpha Male to train under wrestling coach Mark Henry and Brazilian jiu-jitsu grandmaster Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey.

Prior to that, Cody Garbrandt had been training with Team Alpha Male – a gym that's frequented by some of the best wrestlers in MMA. Team Alpha Male's Ricardo Ramos credited the wrestlers at his home gym earlier in the night for his outstanding performance against Bill Algeo.

Cody Garbrandt gets outstruck at UFC Vegas 27

A striking masterclass showcase 🤜 @RobSFont landed in the pocket to make it 4️⃣-straight wins! #UFCVegas27 pic.twitter.com/bs8eUJimPz

— UFC (@ufc) May 23, 2021

Cody Garbrandt, who many were expecting to engage in a slugfest with Font, chose to utilize his grappling to gain an advantage over his opponent early on. The former UFC bantamweight champ successfully took Font down twice in a competitive first round.

In round two, Cody Garbrandt found success when he took Font down once again. However, that would be Garbrandt's last successful takedown as Font used a kimura attempt to get back on his feet.

Rob Font found his rhythm in round three when he used his jab to perfection while stuffing Garbrandt's desperate takedown attempts. The 33-year-old picked Garbrandt apart on the feet for the remainder of the fight to seal a unanimous decision victory.

What's next for Cody Garbrandt?

Coming into the fight, Garbrandt was fresh off a sleek knockout win over Raphael Assuncao. His KO win impressed the UFC decision-makers enough to award Garbrandt a title shot at flyweight. Unfortunately, Garbrandt was forced to withdraw from the title fight due to multiple health issues.

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is scheduled to defend his title against Brandon Moreno in the co-main event of UFC 263. After losing to Font at UFC Vegas 27, it's unlikely that 'No Love' will get a shot at the flyweight title.

The bantamweight division, meanwhile, is in limbo as Aljamain Sterling recovers from neck surgery. When 'Funkmaster' returns, he's expected to defend his crown against Petr Yan. Garbrandt has now lost four of his last five fights, and it's apparent that he's out of the title picture in the 125-pound division as well.

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