“No Love” is going back to what made him champion.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt returns to action against Xiao Long at UFC 326 this weekend (Sat., March 7, 2026) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The fight game hasn’t exactly been kind to Garbrandt since losing his title at UFC 217 back in 2017. Since then, the former champion has struggled to find consistency, posting a rough 3-7 record while enduring multiple losing streaks.
Some of those
struggles have been tied to health issues. Garbrandt has dealt with vertigo since UFC 300, when he was overwhelmed by Deiveson Figueiredo and eventually submitted in the second round (watch highlights). Garbrandt believed the issue was behind him, but the vertigo returned during his most recent loss to Raoni Barcelos.
Now, heading into UFC 326, Garbrandt says that chapter is finally over — and he’s returned to the fundamentals that built his career.
“This is the best camp I’ve had in quite some time,” Garbrandt said during UFC 326 media day. “Sometimes we come up here, and you have like, ‘Oh I feel great! This is an awesome camp’, and you don’t have that. It’s great to be here fight week. To be healthy, to be excited to fight, excited to come and do all the media as well…It’s a huge confidence boost knowing that I did everything I needed to do inside this camp. As I said, I got back to my roots, the wrestling, the boxing. It’s just been great.”
Garbrandt also admitted he can’t remember the last time he felt genuinely excited heading into a fight — but this week feels different, even if his opponent isn’t exactly a household name.
Still, he expects a dangerous challenge.
“Xiao Long is a warrior. Every fight he comes to win. Everything he throws is with malicious intent to kill you,” Garbrandt said. “I don’t think a lot of people know him, but it’s a huge opportunity for him to come first fight in the States. First fight on a pay-per-view card, fighting a former world champion. I expect the best Xiao Long version that’s going to come out there.”
Despite his championship pedigree, Garbrandt currently sits as a slight underdog against Long at +135 heading into fight night.
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