Cody Garbrandt has hit a bump in his UFC career.
The former UFC Bantamweight champion, who dethroned Dominick Cruz in 2016, is now 3-7 in his last ten fights after losing back-to-back at UFC Atlanta.
Garbrandt, 33, looked much different than he did in his fight against former Champ Diveson Figueiredo on UFC 300, with a long hair and new tattoos, including a sword through his right eye.
Garbrandt faced Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos in a bantam weight fight. 'No Love' fought a decent first round, but Barcelos entered Garbrandt in rounds 2 and 3 to win a unanimous decision.
Another loss for Garbrandt has made fans delivered for his career, in which some even evoke his retirement.
A UFC veteran says 'something is wrong' with Cody Garbrandt.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Josh Thomson thinks Cody Garbrandt is fighting 'Some Inner Demons'
Former UFC and Strikeforce Jager Josh Thomson was brutally honest at the last performance of Garbrandt, believed that Garbrandt fought against more than one opponent at UFC Atlanta.
“The Cody situation is very frustrating from the outside because you see all the talent,” Thomson said on the roads in Podcast.
“You see everything he does. I think that as a former hunter and other people I have spoken with, the tattoo on the face, the other things that are going on.
“It's almost like a mid-life crisis that he goes through,” Thomson added.
“There is more to it than just fighting. It seems that he is fighting against a number of inner demons. He has a number of other things going on. It is sad because he is so talented, so blessed. He has all the tools and everything he could be that many fighters wish they had.
“But something is going on. Something else is going on with him,” said the retired hunter about Garbrandt.
Cody Garbrandt has returned from back-to-back losses
Once an undefeated world champion on 11-0, Garbrandt dropped three fights in a row by Ko, starting with a title loss for rival TJ Dillashaw in 2017.
Garbrandt eventually bounced back with a buzzer-knocking knockout from Raphael Assuncao three years later on UFC 250.
'No Love' was unable to maintain the momentum and lost his next two fights afterwards.
Garbrandt won twice in 2023 before he lost to DEIVESON FigueIredo by submission on UFC 300.