Does Cody Garbrandt deserve a shot at UFC gold?

With UFC 202 on the horizon the talk of the town has been pretty one note. Sure, Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz 2 is tracking to be one of the biggest UFC bouts of all time. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any other fights to be appreciated on the card. Closing out the prelims on FOX Sports 1 is a match up of skilled bantamweight contenders Takeya Mizugaki and Cody Garbrandt. The latter half of these two dance partners is particularly interesting, namely for the fact that he’s been spouting a tremendous amount of trash talk at Dominick Cruz, the UFC bantamweight kingpin. It’s certainly a great way to get recognized in a division where the champion has defeated many of the top contenders in the weight class. Cody Garbrandt’s trash talk makes for a steadily brewing storyline that could prove to push the outspoken former boxer into a UFC title bout. The biggest question that needs to be answered however is whether or not he deserves it with a win over Mizugaki. Sure, Mizugaki is a tough and talented bantamweight with a tremendous amount of experience. That being said, a victory over the talented Japanese fighter may not warrant a chance at UFC gold. Besides that, there’s also TJ Dillashaw to consider. Many people want to see a rematch between Dillashaw and Cruz, which could hurt Garbrandt’s chances at a title shot in the near future. The one thing that’s helping Garbrandt’s case is the fact that Cruz wants to “beat him up.” In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Cruz went on the record to say that Garbrandt is saying all the right things to get a chance at the belt. Since Garbrandt is a Team Alpha Male representative, Cruz appears to have no qualms with facing another protege of Uriah Faber. Given his history with the famed camp, it would be fairly easy to set up a Garbrandt versus Cruz pay-per-view. And besides, who wouldn’t want to see some trash talking between these two? It’s done wonders for Conor McGregor’s career after all. Do you think Cody Garbrandt deserves a title shot? Let us know by hitting up our comments below or head on over to our official Facebook and Twitter.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.