Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt made his flyweight debut against Kai Kara-France at tonight’s UFC 269 event.
Garbrandt (12-5 MMA) had made the decision to test the waters at 125lbs following his unanimous decision loss to Rob Font back in May. That setback was Cody’s fourth in his past five fights, with three of those defeats coming via knockout.
Meanwhile, Kai Kara-France (23-9 MMA) was coming off a knockout win over Rogerio Bontorin in his most previous effort at UFC 259. Prior to that, the Kiwi had suffered a submission loss to Brand Royval. Kai was ranked seventh in the flyweight division prior to tonight’s affair.
Tonight’s ‘Garbrandt vs. Kara-France’ matchup resulted in another nasty knockout loss for Cody Garbrandt. After a back and forth opening couple of minutes, the Kiwi was able to drop ‘No Love’ with a big punch. Cody quickly got back to his feet only to get dropped again. The former bantamweight champion continued to fight back he was clearly badly hurt. Eventually Kara-France put him away with a final combination.
Official UFC 269 Result: Kai Kara-France def. Cody Garbrandt via KO in Round 1
Check out how the pros reacted to Garbrandt vs. Kare-France below:
125 hits different. That’s all I’m saying #UFC269!
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 12, 2021
Hoping the move down in weight helps Cody, he has been struggling lately.
— Funky (@Benaskren) December 12, 2021
Let’s goooo @Cody_Nolove!!!
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) December 12, 2021
https://twitter.com/THEREALPUNK/status/1469876117087477761
https://twitter.com/alexvolkanovski/status/1469876550812114949
Look at Cody having that height advantage! #UFC269
— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) December 12, 2021
Post-fight reactions to Kai Kara-France defeating Cody Garbrandt by knockout:
It’s sad watching fighters get old
— Funky (@Benaskren) December 12, 2021
lol
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) December 12, 2021
Cody "No Chin" Garbage, welcome to the flyweight division. @kaikarafrance You can thank yours truly for saving the flyweights! #UFC269
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) December 12, 2021
Kai Kara France vs Manel Kape! Would be madness !!!!!
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) December 12, 2021
Who would you like to see Kai Kara-France fight next following his knockout victory over former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt at tonight’s UFC 269 event in Las Vegas? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!