Special occasions create special circumstances, and former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is embracing his role as the early preliminary opener at UFC 300.
It’s not as if Garbrandt (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is on a losing skid. In fact, he’s won two straight. His opponent, former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1 MMA, 11-3-1 UFC), is also on an uptick after winning his first fight at 135 pounds in December.
So why are two former champions who are still going strong tasked with opening an event? Well, UFC 300 is a special case, stacked from top to bottom with former champions and future Hall of Famers. Garbrandt understands this and is focused on the positives.
“For me, I feel the gratitude,” Garbrant told MMA Junkie. “Very thankful to be on UFC 300. Thankful to be able to be healthy enough to pursue this dream, first and foremost. Getting announced first on the fight, works in my favor. I’m up early, I train early, I already got three sessions in today and it’s almost 2 o’clock. My day is basically winding up.
“So, 3 p.m. we fight, we open it up – and it also says what the drawing power that I can have to be able to put people in the seats from the first bell. It’s hard to get there from 3 in the afternoon and stay there until 11. Even myself, I’ve never been to a first fight in the UFC to even watch as a spectator.”
On any given fight card, there are typically only two spots that have reliable start times: the very first fight and the main card opener. Everyone else could experience a shift to make their walk depending on what happens in the fight prior. For this reason, Garbrandt has found another positive to opening the event.
“It takes the guessing game out of it,” Garbrandt said. “The worst thing is when you think you’re ready and you’re warming up, and that fight ends first-round knockout or finish, or whatever happens. Then they come back, ‘You’re walking in three!’”
The former champ plans to take care of business and then return to his family and friends to enjoy the rest of the card. While the first fight on the card typically is a spot that most want to avoid, for this fight and this special event, Garbrandt has focused on the positives.
“For me, it says a lot,” Garbrandt said. “I’m excited for what the UFC is doing. I understand what Dana and the brass, Hunter, want to do is have people in that venue from the start to the finish. I can guarantee I’m going to go out and put on the best performance of my life, and put on a fight like I always do.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
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