Ali Abdelaziz is still hoping his client Cody Garbrandt can skip the line at flyweight, but if not a fight with MMA legend Jose Aldo will do.
The UFC’s former bantamweight champion, Garbrandt (12-3 MMA), was slated to challenge Deiveson Figueiredo for the promotions flyweight title back at UFC 255 in November. Unfortunately for ‘No Love, he was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a bicep injury.
With Figueiredo now slated to have an immediate rematch with Brandon Moreno following their war at UFC 256, Cody Garbrandt needs a fight to keep him busy. With that said, Cody’s manager Ali Abdelaziz believes the timing is perfect for ‘No Love’ to fight Jose Aldo.
“I’m interested in Cody Garbrandt vs. Jose Aldo at 135 pounds,” Abdelaziz told MMAJunkie. “If the flyweight champ is available, 100 percent Cody is the No. 1 contender. That’s what Dana White says. If he’s not available, everybody is booked or coming from losses. I think Cody needs a fight to get him up, and I think Jose Aldo is a fight to get him up. I think that’s a five-round fight, main event. Why not?”
The UFC’s former featherweight kingpin, Aldo (29-7 MMA), picked up his first bantamweight win at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 17 event, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Vera. The victory halted the Brazilians three-fight losing skid, as Aldo had previously suffered setbacks to Alex Volkanovski, Marlon Moraes and Petr Yan.
Meanwhile, Cody Garbrant was most recently seen in action at June’s UFC 250 event, where he earned a sensational knockout win over Raphael Assuncao. That victory snapped a three-fight losing skid for ‘No Love’, as he had previously suffered knockout losses to TJ Dillashaw (x2) and Pedro Munhoz.
Would you like to see the UFC book a bout between former champions Cody Garbrandt and Jose Aldo next? Who do you think would emerge victorious? Share your thoughts in the comments section PENN Nation!