According to Cody Garbrandt, a rematch against former longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, could be in the works for an event planned for sometime in July.
During a recent chat with MMA Junkie Radio, “No Love” hinted at the possibility of running it back with “The Dominator” when discussing their original fight that took place almost seven years ago.
“It was a good fight, man – he’s (Dominick Cruz) a legend of the sport,” Cody Garbrandt said as transcribed by MMA News. “It was a great night for me to fight such a masterclass performance against one of the greatest bantamweights to ever do it. And it was great, you know? He’s still out here plugging along and doing his thing. It’s funny, Ali (Abdelaziz) hit me up the other day and was like, ‘Hey, would you like to do a Dominick Cruz rematch in July?’”
At the time of their first fight at UFC 207 in Dec. 2016, Cruz was the reigning champion riding a 13-fight win streak including three title defenses. Garbrandt, on the other hand, was scorching hot as an undefeated (11-0) contender, including winning his first five fights inside the Octagon, four via knockout.
After 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Garbrandt was declared the winner via unanimous decision (see it here), ending Cruz’s lengthy reign as champion while handing him his first loss in nearly a decade.
Interestingly enough, their respective careers took drastic turns after that fight, with Garbrandt losing three in a row including back-to-back losses to TJ Dillashaw. In fact, “No Love” has only been able to muster up a 2-5 record since defeating Cruz, and was last seen getting back in the win column by defeating Trevin Jones at UFC 285.
As for Cruz, he sat out nearly 3.5 years after his loss to Garbrandt due to extensive injuries. When he returned, he faced Henry Cejudo for the 135-pound belt and lost via second-round technical knockout (TKO).
“The Dominator” bounced back with two straight wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz, but was last seen getting knocked out by Marlon Vera in Aug. 2022.
According to “No Love,” he holds no ill will toward Cruz despite their history, but is confident in his chances should they get the chance to run it back.
“I’ve got nothing against Dominick, I have a lot of respect for him – not that I didn’t prior to us fighting,” Cody Garbrandt explained. “I have a lot of respect for him you know, and understanding of him. “We’ve had a lot of conversations. We run into each other – I mean, that night was just my night. I feel like any night against Dominick Cruz will be my night, for sure.”
Are you interested in a potential rematch between those two former Bantamweight champions?
