The Weasle picked Cody Garbrandt to win a judges’ decision over Raoni Barcellos, but only if No Love keeps the fight clean. He noted both veterans own 80-plus % takedown defence and carry knockout power, yet Garbrandt’s rapid hand speed and superior head movement give him the technical edge at boxing range. Barcellos, who just landed a career-high eight takedowns on Peyton Talbot after never topping three before, will be slower and too static defensively—exactly the kind of target Garbrandt’s sharpshooting combinations punish. The analyst warned Garbrandt’s chin cannot survive another reckless brawl; Pedro Munhoz already proved that. A 16-month layoff is an X-factor, but if Cody sticks and moves, stuffs level changes and refuses to trade pocket hooks, his speed and accuracy should bank three rounds on the cards.

Gumby Vreeland flipped from fading Cody Garbrandt to backing him as the betting side against Raoni Barcelos. Vreeland noted Garbrandt has won two of his past three, with the lone setback a submission to former champ Deiveson Figueiredo rather than another knockout loss. He argued Garbrandt’s resume—wins over Brian Kelleher and other higher-level foes—looks far stronger than Barcelos’s recent split of Peyton Talbott and Christian Quinonez followed by losses to lesser names. Stylistically, Vreeland believes Garbrandt is the cleaner, faster boxer and that Barcelos’s volume numbers are inflated by dominating lower-tier opposition. He also doubts Barcelos can duplicate the grinding wrestling he used on Talbott because Garbrandt’s collegiate wrestling background has historically kept him upright versus everyone except Figueiredo. With Barcelos now 37 and Garbrandt’s chin narrative quiet since 2020, Vreeland likes the underdog price on Garbrandt to win the striking exchanges and stuff takedowns.