This weekend’s main event is the product of excellent matchmaking by the powers that be at the UFC as no. 3 ranked Rob Font takes on no. 4 ranked Cody Garbrandt in the organisation’s bantamweight division.
Both men enter the bout off the back of impressive victories, and a win for either fighter here will undoubtedly see them take a significant step towards an eventual bantamweight title challenge.
So, with plenty to play for in Vegas on Saturday, let’s see how the two men matchup.
Currently riding a three-fight win streak, and an impressive one at that, Rob Font is in the midst of his career-best form; wins over understatedly tough opponents in Sergio Pettis and Ricky Simón were supplemented with an impressive KO of the more notorious Marlon Moraes back in December and, heading into Saturday’s bout, Font will not be short of reasons to be confident.
The Massachusetts native is the owner of a six-inch reach advantage over his opponent, which feels significant in the context of Saturday’s matchup as it is augmented by both an effective, intelligently used jab and a powerful rear straight which will make life difficult for an opponent in Garbrandt who struggles at mid-long range and isn’t the most adept closer of distance.
Font’s previous bout with Douglas Silva de Andrade can be viewed as stylistically analogous to Saturday’s matchup, where Font can be seen picking off the Brazilian at range and using feints to draw out reactions from a combination counter puncher in Andrade which were then followed up with kicks to the body while the Andrade was left out of position
Expect Font to take a similar approach here, with the focus largely on controlling the fight with his jab, feints and throwaway shots, thus forcing reactions from the shorter Garbrandt which should provide Font with opportunities to counter.
Following an extremely concerning run that saw him knocked unconscious on three consecutive occasions, Cody Garbrandt finally rebounded with a win when he knocked out Raphael Assunção in June of 2020. In response to defeat at the hands of Pedro Munhoz, Garbrandt teamed up with highly-regarded coach Mark Henry in New Jersey, a move lauded by the MMA community, and received praise after appearing calm and composed - characteristics critically absent in his previous three fights - in his return bout against Assunção.
However, such an approach will likely not be replicable on Saturday because where Garbrandt was able to allow Assunção to come towards him and counter in response to his entries, he will presumably be forced to be the initiator here. As previously mentioned, Garbrandt struggles outside of pocket range so he’ll be trying to ensure the fight takes place in close quarters. If successful, Garbrandt has lightning speed and lights out power which he can certainly use to take advantage of the defensively porous Font. Unfortunately for Garbrandt, he’s not the most defensively responsible man himself and extended exchanges in the pocket will still present a threat to him too.
Despite being a less intelligent, less well-put-together fighter, he’s the man with a noticeable athletic advantage which in MMA so often proves to be the difference-maker. Garbrandt’s lethal combination of power and speed makes him a live dog in any matchup and they’ll certainly be the attributes he’ll have to rely on if he is to win here. You can find ‘No Love’ to win by KO or TKO at 15/8.
This fight is certainly one we could see going either way, but we’re picking Font to win inside the distance. His tools at range will likely make this fight an IQ test for Garbrandt, a test which he has often failed, and in the event of a firefight, Font crucially possesses the edge in durability. You can find Font at 9/5 to win by KO or TKO.
