Cody Garbrandt has a lot on his mind heading into UFC 329, and it goes well beyond his upcoming bout against Adrien Yanez. Speaking at media day while celebrating his 35th birthday, the former UFC bantamweight champion opened up about the financial and emotional challenges athletes face when their careers come to an end, pointing to the recent public struggles of Dustin Poirier.
Garbrandt, who became world champion at just 25 years old, reflected on a decade inside the UFC and said the transition out of combat sports is something that weighs on him deeply.
“I just pray that a lot of these athletes stack their money, get plans for after, and I wish the UFC would do a little bit more on helping us out with that, healthcare, insurance, 401k,” Garbrandt said. “It’s scary to leave something that’s secure and you’ve done it for your whole life. Those paychecks aren’t coming in. Those sponsorships aren’t coming in, and you go back to not having that adrenaline of chasing something.”
The subject naturally turned to Poirier, who has faced considerable public scrutiny in recent weeks. Garbrandt made clear he has nothing but respect and empathy for the former lightweight title challenger.
“I feel for Dustin, man. I get choked up even thinking about it because he’s such a good dude,” Garbrandt said. “People are just ridiculing him in the media for one slip up he’s had. This dude’s done so many amazing things in the sport, outside of the sport, the foundations that he’s done, how many people he’s helped in his life.”
“He’s got to come out there and do these videos and apologize. Hey man, you made a mistake. It happens. We all make mistakes. We’re humans. We’re not perfect.”
Garbrandt acknowledged that the psychological toll of stepping away from competition is something many athletes are simply unprepared for, and that the UFC bears some responsibility in helping ease that transition.
“I can see why mentally, physically, emotionally a lot of athletes you see in the media go through things like that,” he said.
On a personal note, Garbrandt said he feels better than ever entering Saturday and that his relationship with the sport has changed considerably over the years.
“In the earlier days it was such a love-h*te relationship because it was one of those things you had to do. Now I do it because I want to do it. It’s not forced.”
