UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has a massive grudge match ahead of him this weekend. ‘No Love’ has a lot more on his mind than just TJ Dillashaw, though…
Coming up on November 4 is UFC 217, taking place in Madison Square Garden, New York. Headlining the pay-per-view card is the middleweight title fight between Michael Bisping and Georges St-Pierre.
Offering two more title fights, UFC 217 also features Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Rose Namajunas. Quite the triple threat, yet the show is apparently seeing low ticket sales.
Although Bisping vs. St-Pierre is a shallow effort by the promotion to push sales, the other two title fights are legit. Where Garbrandt and Dillashaw are concerned, there’s certified bad blood.
Having trained together at TAM before Dillashaw jumped ship, ‘No Love’ and ‘The Viper’ then coached opposite each other on The Ultimate Fighter. Their highly anticipated grudge match plays co-main event at UFC 217.
Garbrandt Has Big Plans After UFC 217
Speaking during the media conference this week, as per MMAJunkie.com, ‘No Love’ revealed plans for a trip down after November 4:
“I’m going to, first and foremost, focus on T.J. This is a gimme fight, too. This is a fight for me that I’m going to end this dude, and go on, and I can pick my fights after that. I’m going to go down to fight ‘Mighty Mouse’ at 125, and that’s just business. I like the guy a lot, but that’s just a business move for me.”
“I gave Dominick a rematch,” Garbrandt said. “T.J. should be thanking Dominick right now for giving him the fight. I whooped Dominick’s ass so bad that he didn’t want a rematch – he wanted me and T.J. to go in there and do it. Dominick is at the tail end of his career; I could (not) care less what Dominick does in the Rivera fight. Neither of those guys are money fights for me, anyway.”
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“Anybody that I fight, I’m the draw,” Garbrandt said. “Anybody at the lighter division – 125, 135 (pounds) – I’m the draw. Whoever my next adversary is after T.J., I’m the draw. So they’re going to tune in and watch me fight, whoever I fight.”
“This isn’t a gimme fight. Bisping and GSP fight is a gimme fight, they’re just trying to sell tickets. Our fight sells on all avenues, on all angles, everywhere. Everyone wants to see this fight, it’s a grudge match. Two fighters going out there the former interim champion fighting the champion. That in itself is the main event.
“No disrespect to Rose and Joanna, I think they’re great fighters, but we’re the real main event on Nov. 4.”
Garbrandt Threatens to KO McGregor
Earlier this month, Garbrandt claimed he’d KO McGregor in boxing:
“I’ll go in there and knock Conor the f— out in boxing,” Garbrandt told ESPN. “Let’s be honest. There’s no difference in a southpaw [McGregor’s fighting stance] or orthodox. That guy could come out and fight on his hands for all I give a f—. I would knock him out, and that’s it.
“I’ve got T.J. ahead of me. He’s a great adversary to level up on. I’m excited to go in there and take out T.J., and whoever else — ‘Mighty Mouse’ [Johnson], Conor. You can give me top boxers, Adrien Broner, Mikey Garcia. I would love to get in the ring with them.”
