Dewey Cooper says don’t write off former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt just yet.
Garbrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has struggled since going unbeaten en route to a flawless title performance to capture the bantamweight title from Dominick Cruz in December 2016.
Garbrandt would go on to lose five of his next six, but he finally rebounded in March when he defeated Trevin Jones at UFC 285. “No Love” recently moved to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture and his coach, Cooper, still sees a talent with plenty of promise.
“He’s still in his prime. He’s actually in the midst of his prime,” Cooper told MMA Underground. “So people trying to write him off, the story isn’t over, and the ship has not sailed. Cody ‘No Love’ is a special guy. People really underestimate how athletic he is. He’s a quick-switch track runner who happens to be a fighter.
“Of course he wrestled his whole life and all of that, but he has real athletic ability. Sometimes when people rise so fast and so suddenly and that fame hits them, if their priorities aren’t in order and if their life gets a little dismal, everything can come tumbling down.”
Garbrandt’s downfall came due to his insistence to brawl and entertain while exchanging in the pocket, causing him to get caught on several occasions. He displayed a much more calculated approach against Jones, and Cooper says they’ll tap into that if it’s necessary to win.
“Simply your mind, and that’s the simplification that we worked on, just win,” Cooper said. “W-I-N, just win. If it comes exciting, awesome. If it comes GSP style, awesome, At the end of the day get your God damn hand raised, and we’ll be more spectacular next time.”
Garbrandt will look to amass his first winning streak since 2016 when he takes on Mario Bautista at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at TD Garden in Boston.
