Cody Garbrandt set to make flyweight debut in December against Kai Kara-France

Cody Garbrandt will be making the drop to flyweight after all.

After Garbrandt lost to Rob Font in May he hinted at a drop to flyweight. He was supposed to fight Deiveson Figueiredo for the belt at UFC 255 last year but was forced out of the bout. Now, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the former bantamweight champion will face Kai Kara-France on December 11. At this time, it’s uncertain whether that will be a pay-per-view event or just a Fight Night. The location of the event is also unknown.

As mentioned, this shouldn’t come as a surprise as Garbrandt has been hinting at a move down to flyweight for months. He has never been a big bantamweight and he gets a chance to cement himself as a top contender against Kara-France.

Cody Garbrandt (12-4) is just 1-4 in his last five and has struggled ever since he beat Dominick Cruz to win UFC gold. After he became the bantamweight champion, he suffered back-to-back knockout losses to TJ Dillashaw to lose his belt. He then made his return against Pedro Munhoz and suffered another KO loss before getting back into the win column back at UFC 250 with a highlight-reel KO win over Raphael Assuncao. He’s currently ranked sixth at bantamweight and if he beats Kara-France, he would likely earn a flyweight title shot.

Kai Kara-France (22-9 and one No Contest) returned to the win column with a KO win over Rogerio Bontorin at UFC 259. Prior to that, he suffered a submission loss to Brand Royval after beating Tyson Nam and dropping a decision to Brandon Moreno. The Kiwi is currently ranked seventh at flyweight and there’s no question if he beats Garbrandt it would be the biggest win of his career. The victory would likely propel him into a number one contender bout.

Who do you think will win, Cody Garbrandt or Kai Kara-France?