Not only did the former bantamweight champion suffer a second-round submission defeat to Deiveson Figueiredo, but he also experienced vertigo during the bout, which was the first prelim on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I felt great in my fight until I started to experience vertigo,” Garbrandt wrote on X. “I couldn’t control the spinning once it was to the ground. Hats off to Deiveson and his camp! I ended up going to the hospital where I was still experiencing the vertigo, throwing up until 4 a.m.
“… I’ll get this corrected. I’ve dealt with vertigo since 2012. Thank you to the fans that came out to support. It wasn’t my night, but I love doing what I do. I’ll be back in there before the year is up.”
UFC 300 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Lt2uRwObQg
— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) April 16, 2024
Garbrandt did well on the feet in the opening stanza against his Brazilian foe, but the tide turned when he was taken to the ground in Round 2. It was there that “No Love” tapped to a rear-naked choke at the 4:02 mark of the period. Garbrandt was coming off back-to-back triumphs over Trevin Jones and Brian Kelleher in 2023.