Few people would have begrudged Cody Garbrandt if the former UFC bantamweight champion declined to speak to the media after his UFC 217 title loss to T.J. Dillashaw. Not only did Garbrandt drop his belt to one of his fiercest rivals, but the setback also marked the first loss of Garbrandt’s professional fighting career.
But regardless, there Garbrandt was after UFC 217, a willing participant at the event’s post-fight press conference, speaking candidly about the worst night of his career mere hours after losing to Dillashaw. And for Team Alpha Male founder Urijah Faber, who mentored Garbrandt throughout his rise to the top of the bantamweight division, the way “No Love” reacted to the first major adversity of his run portended good things about the 26-year-old’s future.