UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt got his wish.
The Ohio native had asked for a fight on Nov. 4 and now he’ll face former teammate T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 217 inside Madison Square Garden in New York.
UFC officials announced the matchup on Thursday night.
Garbrandt had been campaigning to land the Nov. 4 card after a back injury prevented his return to action earlier this year when he was scheduled to meet Dillashaw in July.
With rehabilitation on his back nearly finished, Garbrandt had targeted November for his first title defense after defeating former champion Dominick Cruz last December to win the belt.
Dillashaw will get his first crack at Garbrandt and second shot at the title after reigning as bantamweight champion for two defenses between 2014 and 2015.
Dillashaw is very familiar with Garbrandt after the two fighters were teammate at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento for several years before he split from the gym to relocate to Colorado to work full time with coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig.
Now the former friends will face off on Nov. 4 with the bantamweight title up for grabs in one of the most highly anticipated fights of 2017.
