Font dominates Garbrandt in UFC main event
Rob Font continued his path to a bantamweight title shot in his first UFC main event.
Font defeated Cody Garbrandt via unanimous decision (48-47, 50-45, 50-45) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
The 33-year-old dominated the fight from start to finish. He used his reach advantage to pick apart the former UFC champion, tagging him multiple times.
"I feel great," Font said in his postfight interview. "(My) cardio felt great. I tried to stay real disciplined in this fight. (Garbrandt) hurt me a couple times, but I kind of got my head together. (I) just stayed disciplined, stopped trying to look for the finish, and stayed behind my jab. ... I have the best jab in the UFC."
Font had a 180-62 edge in significant strikes, according to the broadcast. That's tied for the second-most significant strikes in a UFC bantamweight fight, and it's the biggest differential in significant strikes in 135-pound history.
The No. 3-ranked bantamweight scored with his jab - which proved to be his best weapon against Garbrandt - numerous times, especially in the later rounds. Font's boxing was crisp and precise, which made for a masterclass performance, while Garbrandt struggled to land with any consistency.
Garbrandt tried to take the fight to the ground on occasion, but aside from a successful attempt in the first round, Font largely managed to keep the bout in the stand-up department.
Afterward, Font said he hopes to either challenge for the bantamweight title or face the winner of Cory Sandhagen versus TJ Dillashaw - which is targeted for July 24 - in his next fight.
"I'll be patient," Font said. "Obviously, we have to see how the championship fight plays out. And then, obviously, Cory and TJ are fighting. I want to get in between those two guys right there. The winner of the TJ fight or, obviously, if I can get to the belt, I'd love to get straight to the belt."
With the victory, Font improved his winning streak to four. He has only lost once since 2017.
Garbrandt, 29, was coming off a "Knockout of the Year" candidate over Raphael Assuncao last June. The No. 4-ranked contender, who held the title from December 2016 to November 2017, is 1-4 over his past five outings.