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After his impressive first-round knockout victory over Brian Kelleher at UFC 296, Cody Garbrandt is eyeing a path back to the top of the bantamweight division. However, despite his resurgence, a rematch with Dominick Cruz, the man he took the belt from in 2016, doesn't interest him.
In an interview with ESPN, Garbrandt expressed his disinterest in a rematch with Cruz, stating,
"Honestly, that fight doesn’t interest me. What else am I supposed to do with the guy? Go in and knock him out this time? That’s the only thing that would kind of put a statement or top that. It’s so hard to top that performance."
Garbrandt's victory over Cruz at UFC 207 marked a high point in his career, but subsequent losses and setbacks followed. Now, with two consecutive wins at bantamweight, he is focused on a potential fight against former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
"I’ll fight anybody. It doesn’t matter," Garbrandt emphasized. "But at the end of the day, Deiveson Figueiredo coming to the bantamweight division and having a win over Rob Font, I go knock Deiveson out, and it puts me right back in title contention."
Garbrandt's history with current bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley adds an extra layer of intrigue to his future plans.
"If Sean’s still the champion when it’s my time to punch that ticket again, I would absolutely love that," he stated. "And if he’s not, then I’ve got to work my way to Sean if he loses... I think a crash course with Sean is definitely in the near future. A money fight, that’s what this is all about."
With his sights set on reclaiming the bantamweight title and settling his score with O'Malley, Garbrandt's return to form has reignited his aspirations for championship glory in the UFC.