Cody Garbrandt’s move to the UFC flyweight division is on hold after the former bantamweight champion suffered a torn bicep in training, he announced on Twitter.
Ahah thank you brother, fuckin tore my bicep on Monday. Title shot in 2021.
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) October 2, 2020
Garbrandt added he requested to push the title fight against Deiveson Figueiredo until December, but the UFC opted to replace him, going with No. 4 ranked Alex Perez on November 21 at UFC 255, per Combate.
After returning to the win column with a swift knockout of Raphael Assuncao in June, Garbrandt was slated to move down in weight in the champ’s first flyweight title defense. It was an opportunity for a return to glory for Garbrandt, who had lost three consecutive fights before his big win. But after testing positive for COVID-19, being forced out of training for more than a month and suffering the injury, he’ll have to wait for the winner of Figueiredo-Perez for his next opportunity.
After missing weight in his initial bout with Joseph Benavidez, Figueiredo submitted Benavidez to win the division crown in July. At 19-1, Figueiredo’s lone loss came at the hands of Jussier Formiga in March of last year. Perez earned his shot at the flyweight belt with a first-round knockout of Formiga in June, and is riding a three-win streak ahead of his bout against Figueiredo.
