When Cody Garbrandt and Jean-Claude Van Damme met inside the gym, things turned awkward very quickly.
Action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme had been chomping at the bit to train with Cody Garbrandt and his team. After ‘No Love’ lost the UFC bantamweight crown to TJ Dillashaw, he had some free time, so he finally gave JCVD the call.
After a 38-minute warmup on an exercise bike, the ‘Muscles from Brussels,’ finally got inside the cage with the former champion. Before they did anything, Van Damme made Garbrandt do some unorthodox stretches… for 40 minutes.
Once that was complete, they finally started kicking.
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Van Damme proceeded to demonstrate a variation of a teep to Garbrandt, who explained what happened next on the Real Quick With Mike Swick podcast.
“I was up back against the cage, so he started playing with me, acting like he was going to throw some kicks. Then, he started throwing hands like slapping at me and was like, ‘What the hell?’ Then, he fucking kicked me with that hook kick right in the teeth and I was like, ‘Motherfucker!'”
“I was pissed. I was like, ‘I want to rip his head off… but it’s Jean-Claude, what am I supposed to do?’ All of a sudden he looks at me, drops to his knees and starts crying. He’s like, ‘MY CHAMPION!’ and he crying, so I felt awkward. I had my hands on my hip, I’m mad, my lip’s all busted up, I’ve got that hot sweat, I look down and I say, ‘Jean…’ I walk out of the Octagon and just leave the place, I left the gym. It was fucked up.”
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It may have seemed like a bit of an overaction, but bear in mind this was six days after he lost the belt. Also, Garbrandt genuinely believes that Van Damme knew what he was doing.
“I walk out of the gym and Rob comes with me an I’m like, ‘Look Rob, I don’t want to talk to Jean. I don’t want to hang out with him. That was bullshit.’ He said, ‘Oh, he didn’t mean it!’ I’m like, ‘I’m telling you. This guy’s hit that kick thousands of times. He’s been in martial arts for however long he’s been doing karate and shit. He knows how to pull a kick.'”
We don’t think Garbrandt will be sparring with him again anytime soon.
