One of the UFC’s most watchable Bantamweights, “Suga” Sean O’Malley does NOT think his division’s former champion has what it takes to return to the top. O’Malley is known for his clean, crisp striking and ice cold knockouts, a style that should be familiar to anyone who watched Cody Garbrandt’s rise to the top of the Bantamweight division.
O’Malley firmly believes that Rob Font will take the win in this weekend’s bout between Font and Garbrandt, citing Font’s six-inch reach advantage over his opponent. Rob Font’s reach is listed as 71.5 inches, compared to Cody Garbrandt’s 65.5. Although O’Malley acknowledged that Cody looked “f**ing good” against Raphael Assuncao, a fight the former champ won by knockout, in his opinion Font’s heavy striking and strong takedown defence will seal the deal.
One of these fighters “looked F**ing good”… but won’t win? O’Malley’s prediction for Font v Garbrandt
“I think Rob might out-strike him, dude. I think Rob’s going to be a little bit bigger, a little bit more durable, and maybe eat some shots but land some bombs.”
Rob Font is currently on a three-fight win streak, with Simon, Moraes and Pettis the most recent scalps to his name. However, Font’s most recent loss came against Raphael Assuncao – exactly the man that O’Malley states Garbrandt looked so “sweet” fighting:
“I went back and watched Cody vs. (Raphael) Assuncao. He (Garbrandt) looked sharp. He looked good. He looked composed. He looked fast. He looked like a championship-level fighter.”
Cody Garbrandt’s career was marked by a meteoric rise, and an undignified fall. After defeating Dominick Cruz to win the Bantamweight title, he lost three fights in a row, two of which were against his former Alpha Male teammate TJ Dillashaw. Garbrandt has battled back injuries, kidney problems, and even COVID-19 in recent years.
Font, on the other hand, has been following a more traditional path, taking fights offered to him, dispatching his opponents, and moving on to the next one. Either this fight makes Cody’s comeback, or it’s just another win on Font’s way to the top.
In the lower weight divisions of the UFC, knockouts are less common than in the Heavyweight division, where fights rarely seem to go the distance. This is not to say they don’t happen. Both Font and Garbrandt’s most recent victories came by way of knockouts, both by punches – with two strikers as lethal as these, which way the fight goes is completely unpredictable.
Let us know in the comments which way you think this Flyweight bout will go. Is Sean O’Malley right that Font’s reach advantage will bag him the victory, or does Garbrandt have what it takes to claim another title?
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