Cody Garbrandt set for Real American Freestyle debut at RAF 15

Ex-UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is looking to end 2026 with a victory in combat sports, and he intends to do so by signing with Real American Freestyle, where countless UFC fighters, past and present, are plying their trade.

Cody Garbrandt is heading to RAF 15

Cody Garbrandt hasn't had the easiest year in 2026. To be fair, he hasn't had the easiest last couple of years, but is looking to turn things around with a refreshing change. MMA is still his main pursuit, but he has recently signed with RAF in a return to his wrestling roots, having once wrestled as an NCAA Division II standout. He now faces former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis at featherweight at RAF 15 on Nov. 28. It will be his chance to end 2026 in the win column and breathe new life into a career that doesn't require taking shots to the head.

Despite a stellar start to his MMA career, going undefeated at 11-0 and even dethroning all-time great bantamweight Dominick Cruz as UFC bantamweight champion in a unanimous decision win at UFC 207, Garbrandt experienced one of the sharpest drop offs in modern MMA history. He failed to defend the belt against T.J. Dillashaw in a grudge match at UFC 217, suffering a second-round TKO loss, before getting TKO'd again, this time in round one, in an immediate rematch at UFC 227. While he managed to bounce back with a jaw-dropping second-round knockout of Raphael Assunção at UFC 250, he subsequently lost his next two fights, going to a unanimous decision with Rob Font at UFC Vegas 27 and getting TKO'd in round one by Kai Kara-France in an ill-fated flyweight move at UFC 269.

Since then, 'No Love' has gone 3-3 in his last six fights, most recently getting TKO'd in round one by Adrian Yañez at UFC 329. Throughout the years, Garbrandt has blamed his fall from grace on numerous factors like contracting COVID-19 to failing to follow gameplans and losing his passion for fighting. Unfortunately for him, winning just isn't in the cards for him right now, and he's currently unranked. Yet, despite it all, Garbrandt refuses to give up and has assured fans that he's not done with fighting.