By Hunter Homistek

Cody Garbrandt believes in his fists against anybody. That includes UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

After knocking out Thomas Almeida in the first round at UFC Fight Night 88, Garbrandt catapulted from unranked in the 135-pound division to No. 7. While that's a step in the right direction, Garbrandt says No. 7 is far from his peak.

"You put Dominick Cruz in front of me, I knock Dominick Cruz out—violently," Garbrandt told FloCombat. "I've been planning on beating his ass since I was 16 years old, watching him fight since he first became the champion. That's a guy that I was like, 'I know I can beat that guy.'"

Currently, Cruz is booked to face his longtime rival—and Garbrandt's Team Alpha Male teammate—Urijah Faber Saturday at UFC 199 in Los Angeles. While Garbrandt likes his chances in a scrap vs. "The Dominator," he thinks Faber might go ahead and snag the belt from the Alliance MMA product before he gets a chance to.

"I think Urijah will get the belt," Garbrandt said. "But Cruz is one of the better fighters in the division with a name, and I know I would starch him."



Lauded for his remarkable pace and calculated, precise, and unorthodox movement, Cruz has long been untouchable inside the cage. The champ is 21-1, his lone loss coming against Faber in 2007. Since that time, he's won 12 straight, his closest call a split-decision victory over T.J. Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 81, where he recaptured UFC gold.

To Garbrandt, none of that matters. He believes he's an animal like no other, and Cruz's past opponents don't own the skills he does.

"I know I'd find his chin early on," Garbrandt said. "The angles I cut are like none other that he's fought. The speed and power I bring is like none other that he's fought. Dominick wants to prolong the fight with me to get some more film on me. But he can watch as much film as he wants on me and take notes. I'm a different beast when I'm in there."

While Garbrandt and Cruz are currently enjoying some fun on Twitter, "No Love" called out a different opponent after his most recent victory at UFC Fight Night 88: Bryan Caraway.

Ranked No. 4 in the division, Caraway represents a tough test for any challenger with his grinding, gritty grappling attack. With the UFC coming to Cleveland—just over an hour from Garbrandt's hometown of Uhrichsville, Ohio—Sept. 10, "No Love" is eying a potential showdown against Caraway with great interest.



"Caraway, I'd like to beat his ass in Cleveland because he doesn't respect me," Garbrandt said. "I feel like Cleveland will definitely be my next fight. It's great timing, about four months. I can let my mind heal, let my body heal, then jump right back into training. I'll work hard and dedicate myself to my next fight, whoever that may be. Hopefully it's Bryan, but we'll see what happens this weekend and go from there."

Regardless of the opponent, Garbrandt will push forward and dedicate himself to the craft of fighting. It's all he's ever done, and it's all he plans to do.

"I walked away from two college scholarships. I walked away from high school wrestling, all kinds of stuff in my life, and I never thought about it again," Garbrandt said. "But fighting was always on my mind. It's etched in my heart. It runs in my blood. I love the pureness of it. I could never walk away from it.

"I'd definitely like to have longevity into my 30s, 35, then start my life after, start a family, and do all those things that fighting has kind of postponed. You have to live the dreams you had as a kid, though, and I'm excited for that in the future."