Cody Garbrandt wants his matchup with Rani Yahya rescheduled for July.
Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Yahya were booked to face each other twice in 2022, but both fights fell apart after Yahya withdrew due to injury. “No Love” took care of his own injuries before a return against Trevin Jones at UFC 285 earlier this month. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Yahya (28-10-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) is scheduled to face Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22. If Yahya can come out of the Jackson fight unscathed, Garbrandt hopes they can meet at UFC 290 on July 8.
“I’d like to fight International Fight Week,” Garbrandt told MMA Junkie Radio. “My birthday is July 7. The fight’s July 8, so it would be great to weigh in on my birthday, fight the next day, (and) get a big win. I saw Rani Yahya is slated to fight in April, so if he wins, hopefully he can fight in July. That’s something I look forward to, fighting him.
“He’s got a lot of records in the bantamweight division, riding a three-fight win streak, probably the best grappler in our division, so I would like to test my grappling skills against him. It’s already been two camps I was supposed to fight him and he pulled out twice two weeks before the fight. So that would be my ideal fight July 8.”
The former bantamweight champion was able to snap his two-fight losing skid with a win over Jones and hopes the third time is the charm with Yahya.
“July 8, I’m getting ready for whatever – hopefully Rani Yahya,” Garbrandt added. “It’s two fights that he’s pulled out, so I’d really like to whoop his ass just for that. That’s two fight camps you didn’t get paid for.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
