Cody Garbrandt declares passion for MMA is back after making successful return at UFC 285: “It’s what I was born to do”

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has found his passion for MMA again.

‘No Love’ has had a rough last few years. After defeating Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 in December 2017, it seemed that Garbrandt was on his way to superstardom. Instead, he lost the title to T.J. Dillashaw in his next outing, and went 1-5 after his championship win.

In that stretch, he was knocked out four times, and had a failed move down to flyweight. The former champion returned to the octagon against Trevin Jones last Saturday, in a must-win. It wasn’t pretty, but Garbrandt got the victory by unanimous decision, showcasing his wrestling and technical striking.

That victory was exactly what Cody Garbrandt needed, as he revealed in an interview with BT Sport. The former bantamweight champion stated the win over ‘5 Star’ has led to him rediscovering his love for the sport that he lost during his tough stretch over the last few years.

Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207

“Now we’re just correcting mistakes we made, move forward, and keep on climbing back to the top,” Garbrandt stated during a recent interview with BT Sport. “I believe that the love and passion is back. Obviously, the hard work is always there. It’s what I was born to do, bred to do. Having a solid team behind me, Dewey Cooper brings the energy every time.”

He continued, “I wake up and I get excited not only to work with them, [because] I have the ability and the opportunity to work with them. It’s not like I have to, I get to. That’s such a privilege to work with a high-level coach…  The sport is amazing, it’s evolved so much. I’m just happy to get a good win and grow from that.”

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