UFC 202: Cody Garbrandt poised as UFC's next big thing

LAS VEGAS >> The UFC’s next big thing is ready for approach — and his landing could come at UFC 202.

Cody Garbrandt, a rising star out of Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male, is in an ideal spot Saturday when he takes on Japanese veteran Takeya Mizugaki in the featured bout on the UFC 202 prelims card on Fox Sports 1.

Nicknamed “No Love,” Garbrandt is about as recognizable as they come: handsome and typically sharply dressed, with countless tattoos covering most of his body, including his neck where it meets his trim beard.

He’s also the eighth-ranked bantamweight in the UFC, sporting a spotless 9-0 record. And he just turned 25 last month.

“Cody’s looking great. It’s fight week. That’s when he really comes alive. That’s when the ‘No Love’ character comes out,” Team Alpha Male coach and former UFC fighter Justin Buchholz said. “He’s like a sweetheart of a guy. He’s a tattooed gentleman. Look at the hashtag. It’s him, you know?

“He’s a gentleman, but when it comes to fight week, he’s all business.”

And a fighter such as Garbrandt is good for business. He has eight career knockouts — six in the first round — and is 4-0 in the UFC.

In a sign the UFC is keen on marketing this potential standout, Garbrandt went on a media tour Monday in Los Angeles and more than held his own.

“It’s great. It’s humbling. I remember coming to my debut and having only a few media obligations,” said Garbrandt, who was born in Uhrichsville, Ohio. “Just staying focused on every fight and not let the overhead be too much, not too much pressure or stress, kind of living in the moment, enjoying the process and loving it.”

Mizugaki (21-9-2) is ranked 11th. The 32-year-old began his pro MMA career in 2005 — or when Garbrandt was all of 14.

The former WEC fighter has won seven of his past 10 UFC fights and at one point had a five-fight win streak. That was halted in 2014 by Dominick Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion who has been on Garbrandt’s mind early — since he was a teenager, he says — and often.

Cruz defeated Team Alpha Male founder and Garbrandt mentor Urijah Faber in June at UFC 199 at The Forum, further stoking Garbrandt’s burning desire to take on the king of the 135-pounders and igniting a war of words between the two.

“I’m not overlooking Takeya at all. I believe in myself and my skills to go out there and knock him out and then grab the mic and proceed to advance myself into title contention and next for a title shot,” Garbrandt said. “Dominick wants it, I want it, the fans are behind it. Let’s do it.”

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