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Cody Garbrandt says unanswered questions surrounding flyweight move scare and motivate him

Cody Garbrandt is seeking new life at flyweight, and venturing into the unknown has been a little daunting.

Garbrandt (12-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC), a former UFC bantamweight champion, will make his 125-pound debut against fellow knockout artist Kai Kara-France (22-9 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 269 on Dec. 11.

After an unbeaten start to his pro MMA career, including a masterclass win over Dominick Cruz to capture the bantamweight title, Garbrandt has lost four of his past five and finds himself in a rough spot. He’s currently in New Jersey prepping for his fight against Kara-France with Mark Henry, who’s been in his corner alongside his Team Alpha Male coaches in his past two fights.

“We’re getting that mental fortitude to push and (I’m) ready to put on a pace and go in there and put a statement on this division that this is a pawn that was brought in,” Garbrandt said on his “Rollin with the Homies” podcast.

Garbrandt is no stranger to having his back against the wall. “No Love” was able to snap his three-fight losing skid with a buzzer-beater right hook against Raphael Assuncao in a “Knockout of the Year” contender. But after a five-round decision loss to Rob Font in May, Garbrandt will be moving down a weight class and plans on announcing his arrival in emphatic fashion.

“I’ve got to make a statement, and I’m known to,” Garbrandt said. “This is a huge fight for me, (a) huge opportunity for my career. I’m as scared of this as any fight because I’ve never made 125. I’ve never fought here. There’s a lot of unanswered questions. Just like going into the Dominick Cruz fight – yeah, I could go in there and knock him out. But could I go five rounds? Could I do this? Could I do that?

“There’s so many unanswered questions that it scares me and motivates me in the sense of doing the extra. Not that I haven’t in the past, but it’s more. You have to add more onto it, then figure it out. So I think that this will be a great weight for me. My energy levels feel good. I’ve been on a diet for about two months now, so I’ve already shaved off five to seven pounds, give or take. I’m feeling good.”

For his cut down to 125 pounds, Garbrandt has been working with nutritionist Dr. Matteo Capodaglio, who’s helped the likes of middleweight contender Marvin Vettori, former title challenger Lauren Murphy and Uros Medic. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Capodaglio assured that Garbrandt won’t be draining himself to make the flyweight limit and expects him to be fully hydrated on the night.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

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