Cody Garbrandt vs Raoni Barcelos at UFC on ESPN 69 | Preview & Prediction
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Cody Garbrandt finally returns to action after 14 months out and he is handed a tough return as he meets Brazil’s Raoni Barcelos
Cody Garbrandt vs Raoni Barcelos Facts
What time are Cody Garbrandt and Raoni Barcelos expected to walk out?
Where is UFC on ESPN 69? State Farm Arena, Atlanta, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 69? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC on ESPN 69
What TV channel is UFC on ESPN 69 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 69? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC on ESPN 69 main card
Kamaru Usman vs Joaquin Buckley (Welterweight)
Rose Namajunas vs Miranda Maverick (Women’s Flyweight)
Edmen Shahbazyan vs Andre Petroski (Middleweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Raoni Barcelos (Bantamweight)
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs Cody Brundage (Middleweight)
Alonzo Menifield vs Oumar Sy (Light Heavyweight)
UFC on ESPN 69 prelims
Paul Craig vs Rodolfo Bellato (Light Heavyweight)
Michael Chiesa vs Court McGee (Welterweight)
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Kris Moutinho (Bantamweight)
Cody Durden vs Jose Ochoa (Flyweight)
Ricky Simon vs Cameron Smotherman (Bantamweight)
Philip Rowe vs Ange Loosa (Welterweight)
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs Vanessa Demopoulos (Women’s Flyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Raoni Barcelos prediction
Cody Garbrandt (14-6) returns to the Octagon hoping to hit the ground running in what is his first fight since April 2024 at UFC 300. He lost to Deivesen Figueiredo in what was his sixth loss in his last nine fights and it has been a fair fall from grace since he lost his unbeaten record to TJ Dillashaw in November 2017.
Whether he can recapture his best seems unlikely but he will be hoping that some time out will help him reset and get back to competing at the top end of the bantamweight division. He was due to fight Miles Johns in October and then November but he withdrew on both occasions so he now returns under some pressure to get a win.
He takes on Raoni Barcelos (19-5) who is looking for his successive win in the Octagon. Barcelos beat Payton Talbott at UFC 311 in January by unanimous decision and he will be looking to kick on with a win against arguably the biggest name he has faced.
We find it hard to back Garbrandt coming into this one. The signs before his lay-off were not good and we have doubts about whether he has it in him to compete at this level any more. He is only 33 but the manner of some of his defeats in the last few years is particularly alarming.
His chin has been particularly fragile having been knocked out four times but he is facing Barcelos who has eight knockout wins but has not registered one since 2019.
So much will depend on what kind of shape Garbrandt comes into the Octagon in but until we see him, we struggle to have confidence in him. For those reasons, along with the fact that Barcelos has been more active then him, leads us towards favouring the Brazilian to win.
Prediction: Raoni Barcelos to win
