Cody Garbrandt assures he can make flyweight, shares his walk-around weight as proof

Late last month, UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt suggested that, if he’s able to defend his crown against rival TJ Dillashaw later this year, he’d next like to drop down to flyweight to try to foil Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson’s history-making 11th title defense.

“I’d rather go down [to flyweight] before I go up [to featherweight]” the bantamweight champ told Onnit CEO Audrey Marcus (via MMAJunkie.com). “Demetrious has a fight with Wilson Reis in the not too distant future that’s coming up. He’ll tie Anderson Silva’s record, then his next fight would be the all-time record. He’s going for the huge record. Make him earn it [by fighting me].”

“Obviously TJ is first and foremost – I’m focused on him – but you have to think about other things,” he continued. “Conor’s not fighting, Aldo and [Max] Holloway are fighting [at UFC 212 in June], so that ties up [everyone but] Demetrious, and he’s the pound-for-pound best, an incredible fighter, great human. I like him a lot and his family, but for me it’s a legacy I set out to build. Friendships are friendships, but it’s business at the end of the day, and I think it could go on as a huge fight, especially for that division because it’s kind of lackluster a lot.”

Unsurprisingly, this claim from Garbrandt generated some skepticism that he’s capable of making the flyweight division’s 125-pound limit. According to the champ himself, however, doing so wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Responding to a fan on Twitter, Garbrandt explains that his walk around weight is a mere 146 pounds.

https://twitter.com/Carl_MacFarlane/status/847532333481709568

https://twitter.com/Cody_Nolove/status/847532727674982400

“I walk around at 146 lbs,” the champ said in his Tweet. 

Would you be interested in a Cody Garbrandt vs. Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson flyweight title fight, or would you prefer to see Garbrandt stay at bantamweight? Sound off, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/5/2017.