UFC 269: Cody Garbrandt says he's the new hardest-hitting flyweight in town

Cody Garbrandt will be making his flyweight debut this Saturday night (Dec. 11, 2021) when he takes on Kai Kara France in main card action at UFC 269 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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The move comes after “No Love” had a rough four-year stretch in the stacked bantamweight division, which saw him lose four of his last five fights. But with that behind him, the ex-135-pound champion says he will bring something to the 125-pound division that has yet to be seen: raw power.

“There’s not a man faster in the UFC, especially with me being at 125 pounds,” said Garbrandt in an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. “There is not going to be a flyweight who hits as hard as me, that has the conditioning that I have, and the tenacity to get the job done,” he explained.

Garbrandt has long been one of the heaviest hitters at 135-pounds, a gift he used to his advantage to start his pro career at 11-0, ultimately winning the title at UFC 207 by beating Dominick Cruz. Despite his recent woes, “No Love” is adamant his move to 125-pounds is the beginning of a new era.

“I’ve been inspired this whole entire camp to do something that a few people have done,” he said during the UFC 269 media day (via MMA Fighting). “Yes, I’ve been a world champion, a former world champion in a previous weight division, that’s a small percent of human beings being able to have that title to their name.

“But even a smaller percentage have gone to a different division and being a world champion as well, so I’m inspired by myself, but also a lot of people around me with what’s about to take place Saturday and that’s just the start of it.”

He will have a tough first challenge in his new weight class because France has racked up a nice 5-2 mark in the division, with one of his two losses coming at the hands of current division king, Brandon Moreno.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 269 fight card on fight night, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

For more news and notes on UFC 269 be sure to visit our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated, revised, and finalized UFC 269 fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.