Now, he returns to the Octagon healthy and ready to go, as he prepares to fight Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos in Atlanta, Georgia. It is the first time Garbrandt has fought outside of Las Vegas since 2019.
“Coming in here with a long layoff, my body, mind and soul needed some time to recoup, re-evaluate and re-assess what that next step was,” Garbrandt said. “Taking that time to get back into training, with my coaches and teammates, it’s been great. Great camp, good energy throughout the whole camp, super healthy and ready to put it on the line. First time fighting out of Las Vegas in so long. I totally forgot what I needed to bring, pack, travel, all of that, but to be able to come down here to Atlanta, I’m excited to put on for the fans.”
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The division that he once ruled is a fun one at the moment, as we come off the heels of champion Merab Dvalishvili’s title defense over Sean O’Malley last weekend at UFC 316. Of course, when you get to the UFC, everyone is tough and the competition is a step up, but there are a ton of contenders and prospects waiting in the wings and coming up at 135 pounds.
As someone that has made it to the top before and fought some of the best in the division, Garbrandt knows how special this division is.
