Cody Garbrandt joins The Weigh-In
— -- Each week, our ESPN.com panel tackles hot topics in the world of mixed martial arts.
This week, UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt joins our expert panel.
1. Ronda Rousey vs. Floyd Mayweather in a mixed martial arts fight: Who wins?
Cody Garbrandt: I mean, in boxing, Floyd would pick her apart. With her judo background and him not having any wrestling background, if Ronda got ahold of him she would toss him around. I never want to see a man fight a girl, let's be honest. I don't know how I feel about it coming up all the time, and then Ronda saying she could beat some of the guys in the UFC. I don't know. I respect Ronda. She's one of the most dominant champions in UFC history, but she's a female fighter in a female division that's very new. She's great at what she does. I'm a big fan of her and how she approaches the game. I think it's awesome women are fighting in the UFC but there's a firm line between that and talking about women fighting men.
Brett Okamoto: Well, I've thought a lot about this and I've decided ... I. Do. Not. Care. Are we really going to keep riding this carousel every time Rousey fights? Can she beat Mayweather in MMA? What about a UFC male fighter? How about any male? OK, OK, what about an average male who works out on the weekends but has below average submission defense? People, what are we talking about here? I hate this. I thought Rousey's roast of Mayweather at the ESPYS was solid and not at all a bad move to cause a stir ahead of a title fight. Why can't it just end there? Why do we actually have to read headlines the next day of people actually discussing what the fight would look like? I'll see myself out of this conversation every time, sorry.
Michael Huang: C'mon. I know we and the UFC struggle to find new ways to address Ronda's domination, but the whole MMA vs. boxing argument is so tired. There was a time it might have been applicable, when MMA was in its more formative years. But today modern MMA is just a completely different sport than boxing. And to speculate about a male against a female in a ring is ludicrous. Ronda said to me herself when addressing whether she'd ever fight a male: "Look, we can't even get MMA legal in New York. What would happen if people watched a man hitting a woman in the Octagon?" Indeed. Plus, Mayweather would simply circle around the ring and Ronda would have to chase him down. No fun.
2. In honor of T.J. Dillashaw- Renan Barao II this weekend, what do you consider the biggest upset in UFC history?
Garbrandt: I would say Matt Serra- Georges St-Pierre [April 2007], definitely. Serra was near the end of his career. He was on "The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback." That right there -- "The Comeback" -- tells you where he was in his career. But he strung things together. No joke, Matt Serra was very tough, but GSP was smashing everybody back then. That was when GSP was actually fighting and he got caught. Serra put him away. It kind of made GSP timid after that -- not timid, but he fought real smart after that. Sometimes as a fighter, you see openings but you hold back to fight smart and I think that fight showed him how to do that.
Okamoto: Agree with Garbrandt -- Serra's knockout will be looked at as the biggest upset of all time, maybe forever. It's impossible to not think about what happened after that fight. Serra fought four more times, got dominated in a rematch against St-Pierre and retired. St-Pierre went on to enjoy one of the greatest title runs in the sport's history. It creates this feeling like Serra had a 1-in-10,000 chance to get the win on that particular night and he did it.
Huang: It's unanimous -- Serra over GSP has to be the biggest. Serra even looked surprised. Another one I've always thought was significant, but certainly wasn't the biggest, was Miguel Torres losing the WEC bantamweight title to Brian Bowles in 2009. At the time, Torres had torn up the league and really established a new physical prototype for MMA. His length really made it difficult for other fighters in his division -- a division dominated by short, compact wrestlers. His domination proved it until Bowles figured it out.
3. Also in honor of Dillashaw-Barao II, what is the greatest rematch in UFC history?
Garbrandt: I'm a huge fan of Chuck Liddell, so I would say his rematches against Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. I would say the rematch against Randy Couture. They eventually fought three times and Liddell went 2-1. I just love Liddell, man. He had the same style as me: sprawl and brawl. He had wrestling and probably could have taken guys down and won decisions but he was sprawl and brawl, wide stance, duck and chuck. He went out on his shield, always entertaining, always looking for the KO.
Okamoto: My favorite fight in MMA history is Frankie Edgar- Gray Maynard II at UFC 125. Edgar was knocked down about a billion times in the first round, came back, did enough to maybe even win that fight, although ultimately it ended in a draw. That was such a display of heart from Edgar. Maynard was still dangerous after that first round but he blew his gas tank. You could see it slipping away from him but he was still head-hunting and Edgar had to tiptoe a fine line between keeping the pace on him and not getting caught again. Truly awesome fight.
Huang: Well, I was going to say Edgar-Maynard II as well, but Okamoto keeps stealing my answers. So I'll go old school with B.J. Penn- Matt Hughes II back in 2006. Hughes was amid a historic run with 19 wins in 20 fights, with his lone loss to Penn just two years earlier. Penn had the belt stripped from him after leaving to join K-1, then returned, with Hughes having regained the UFC welterweight title. Awesome fight with perhaps Hughes at the height of his greatness and showcasing his ground-and-pound technique (learned from Pat Miletich) as a foundation for all wrestling-based MMA fighters. Penn still had some greatness coming in his pummeling of Diego Sanchez.
4. If Miesha Tate defeats Jessica Eye on Saturday, how much interest would you have in her fighting Rousey a third time?
Garbrandt: She's the one that has pushed Rousey the furthest in her UFC competition. I think Miesha is super tough. Ronda has her number but if [Tate] beats Jessica, she deserves a title shot. Looking at her previous fights with Ronda, she has been the only one to get into the third round. Ronda has been smashing every other opponent in seconds. She's actually the one that makes the most sense, to be honest. In a fight, there's always a threat of getting beat. One punch, one mistake can get you beat. I definitely think Miesha is a threat to Ronda, for sure.
Okamoto: I'm not counting out the possibility Eye beats Tate this weekend, but if "Cupcake" gets the win she would be on a four-fight winning streak. She will have beaten two former title contenders and another highly ranked opponent in Eye. And really, who else is there? I think the UFC will look to book a Rousey- Holly Holm title fight at some point if circumstances are right, but they're not right yet. Holm doesn't even want that fight yet. We all hope a fight between Rousey and Cris "Cyborg" Justino materializes, but unless the UFC and Rousey suddenly agree to it being at 140-pound catchweight, it's not taking place this year. After Rousey dominates Bethe Correia next week (now that, I'm pretty positive will happen), who's next if not the Tate-Eye winner?
Huang: I'm always interested in a Ronda Rousey fight. That's the level of dominance at which she resides now. People will watch simply to see if by some chance she slips and loses. Personally, I'd like to see Ronda go through some of the opponents she dispatched so quickly like Cat Zingano or Sara McMann. Both have skills that can be competitive with Rousey, and if given a second shot we might just get to see them.
5. With Fedor Emelianenko talking about a comeback, how much interest do you have in seeing him fight again and who would you want to see him against?
Garbrandt: I would like to see him sign with the UFC, personally, just because I would like to see so many of the rematches he could do in that heavyweight division. Mirko "Cro Cop" [Filipovic]. Maybe he could do a rematch with Andrei Arlovski. Arlovski had him hurt when they fought and then threw that jump knee and got knocked out. Or you could have him fight some of the older heavyweights like Gabriel Gonzaga. I like watching fights and I'll watch him fight wherever but I'm with the UFC. I love the UFC. I would love to see him compete in the UFC -- it's well overdue. Not saying fighters in other organizations aren't tough, but the cream of the crop fight in the UFC.
Okamoto: I guess I do have an interest in watching Emelianenko fight again but if he comes out and looks finished in his return fight, that interest will disappear real quick. There is a relatively decent chance Emelianenko is done. At the very least, he's well past his prime. He's a heavyweight, though, and it's not necessary to have found the fountain of youth to be a successful heavyweight right now. Fabricio Werdum, the UFC heavyweight champion, is 37. Mark Hunt, a recent UFC title contender, is 41. Frank Mir and Andrei Arlovski have revitalized their careers at 36. Over at Bellator MMA, heavyweights Kimbo Slice (41) and Ken Shamrock (51) just headlined a tent pole event. Emelianenko can be a factor at age 38 -- but if it's very clear early on that he doesn't resemble the fighter he used to be, I'm not going to want to see him continue. Who would I most want to see him fight? If Randy Couture wants to come back for old time's sake, I guess that's my No 1. choice. If not, Arlovski.
Huang: So, I was at the Fedor- Dan Henderson fight in Chicago, the site of Fedor's last loss and he really had lost that aura of invincibility. He looked like he was just picking up a paycheck. So four years older, would I want to see him fight? Not really. If he signs with the UFC, that might be interesting because of Dana White's longstanding pursuit of him and the lack of depth in the UFC heavyweight bout, it might be interesting. More of a novelty than anything.