Kai Stewart says he was this close to getting Cody Garbrandt into BKFC, only to watch the matchup collapse when Garbrandt re-signed with the UFC. Now Stewart is left with a title defense in front of him and a fight that still feels unfinished in the back of his mind.
The timing matters because Stewart, the six-time defending BKFC featherweight champion, is already booked to face Harry Gigliotti at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 29. He said the Garbrandt bout had moved far enough along that it felt nearly set for KnuckleMania, which is why the loss still stings as he heads into a seventh straight defense.
Stewart did not frame it like a fantasy matchup. He said he heard directly from Garbrandt that the UFC gave him an offer he could not resist, and that is what pulled the former UFC champion back into the promotion on a new multi-fight deal in 2025. Garbrandt’s next bout is now set against Adrian Yanez at UFC 329 on Saturday, which leaves BKFC with the familiar frustration of a crossover fight that got close without crossing the line.
“I was so close to fighting Cody Garbrandt,” Stewart said, describing the talks as “so close to being done for KnuckleMania” that he feels he has to get the fight someday. He added that he wants the matchup to remain live in BKFC, even if the path has gone cold for now.
There is still a simple reason the idea keeps coming back: Stewart has already cleared out his BKFC featherweight division and wants bigger tests. Garbrandt would have been one, and Stewart said he would take him at whatever weight class Garbrandt wanted. That kind of openness suggests the demand is not about numbers on a scale; it is about getting the fight in any form that makes it happen.
For now, though, Stewart is tied to the present. Gigliotti comes first, Fenway Park comes first, and the Garbrandt chase remains a reminder of how fast a near-deal can vanish when another promotion comes in with a better offer. If the matchup ever returns, it will be because both sides decide the timing is right again.
