Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is set to make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon on June 6.
According to the folks at MMAFighting.com, ‘No Love’ has been rebooked to fight Raphael Assuncao on the June 6 fight card.
Garbrandt and Assuncao were originally slated to square off at last month’s scheduled UFC event in Columbus, Ohio. However, Garbrandt was forced out of the fight due to kidney issues and the entire card was ultimately scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cody Garbrandt (11-3 MMA) has not competed since UFC 235 in March of 2019, where he suffered a first round knockout loss to Pedro Munhoz. The setback marked Cody’s third in a row, as he had previously suffered back to back knockout losses to arch rival TJ Dillashaw.
Before the rough stretch, ‘No Love’ had put together a perfect 11-0 record which had culminated in a bantamweight title earning victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 207.
Meanwhile, Raphael Assuncao (27-7 MMA) will also enter the June 6 fight card looking to rebound, this after suffering back to back losses to Cory Sandhagen and Marlon Moraes respectively.
The longtime bantamweight contender, Assuncao, is hoping that a win over the former champion in Garbrandt can boost him back into title contention.
While Cody Garbrandt has recently flirted with the idea of a move down to flyweight, it seems he has at least one bout left in the promotions bantamweight division.
The UFC will return to action on May 9 by holding a no-live-audience event in Jacksonville, Florida. That fight card is set to be headlined by a interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson.
Who do you think will emerge victorious when Cody Garbrandt and Raphael Assuncao square off on June 6? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on April 25, 2020