Cody Garbrandt (born July 7, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

and

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from bantam chickens. Bra ...

divisions of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). Garbrandt is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion.

Background

Garbrandt was born and raised in Uhrichsville, Ohio, on July 7, 1991, mostly by his mother Jessica. Cody is ten months younger than his brother Zach, who he grew up constantly fighting. Garbrandt has claimed in several interviews that his drug addict father was never in the picture, spending most of his life in prison. Garbrandt's parents separated after a

domestic abuse Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for '' intimate partne ...

incident when Cody was one year old. Eventually, Cody was adopted by his mother's now ex-husband at the age of 10. At the ages of four and five, Cody and Zach, respectively, had already been dabbling into boxing with their uncle Robert Meese who was an Olympic alternate in the sport. However, their mother was concerned about the boys becoming

punch-drunk Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets worse o ...

thus forbidding boxing and directing them towards wrestling. At

Claymont High School Claymont High School is a public high school in Uhrichsville, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Claymont City Schools district. Ohio High School Athletic Association state championships * Boys Wrestling – 1992 * Girls Basketball � ...

, Garbrandt competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

, winning a state championship as a freshman in 2007, by defeating Zach Neibert, 4–2, and was a runner-up in 2008. In football, Garbrandt won All–State honors as a linebacker during his junior season. After failing to claim the second state championship, Garbrandt became the NHSCA Sophomore National runner–up and subsequently stopped wrestling and convinced his mother to let him start training boxing seriously. Over about six years, Garbrandt compiled a 32–0 record as an amateur boxer. Despite not competing in wrestling during his final two years of high school, Garbrandt competed at the national tournament as a senior and placed fifth, claiming All–American honors and receiving interest from several

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

schools, such as Penn State and

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...

. He was then recruited by the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

, but due to academic reasons, he ended up at

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. It has 1,250 students. Accreditation Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award ...

, a Division II school, before dropping out for academic and personal reasons, explaining; After dropping out, Garbrandt sold

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

, worked as a bouncer, and eventually completed

coal miner Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

training in order to work in the field familiar to his family. However, he decided to commit completely to his amateur MMA career, which was afoot after helping several MMA camps with wrestling.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Garbrandt ended up taking his first amateur bout in 2009 and compiled an amateur MMA record of 6–2 before making his professional debut in 2012. His pro record currently stands at 12–5, with ten of his opponents being finished via strikes. Prior to his finish of James Porter in May 2014, he moved from Ohio to

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

to train at Team Alpha Male in an attempt to further his career. After a first-round finish of Charles Sanford in October 2014, he signed with the

in the fall of 2014.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Garbrandt made his promotional debut against

Marcus Brimage Marcus Clyde Brimage (born April 6, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, he has formerly competed for the UFC and was a competitor on The Ultimate Fig ...

on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182. He won the fight via TKO in the third round. Garbrandt faced

Henry Briones Jose Enrique Briones (born October 22, 1980), better known as Henry Briones, is a Mexican mixed martial artist and competed in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Briones grew up in Tijuana playing inlin ...

on July 11, 2015, at

UFC 189 ''UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held on July 11, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event took place during the UFC's annual International Fight Week. The event was expected t ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision, going the distance for the first time in his professional career. Garbrandt was expected to face long-time veteran

John Lineker John Lineker (born June 12, 1990), is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently signed to ONE Championship, where he is the former ONE Bantamweight World Champion. Lineker formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting ...

on February 21, 2016, at

UFC Fight Night 83 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Cowboy'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 83'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 21, 2016, at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Background This was the second event that the UFC ho ...

. However, Lineker pulled out of the fight during the week, after contracting

Dengue Fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. These may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic ...

, and he was replaced by

Augusto Mendes Augusto Mendes (born March 3, 1983) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner. He is currently signed to the Absolute Championship Berkut. He was the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Black ...

. Garbrandt won the fight via TKO in the first round. Garbrandt faced fellow undefeated prospect Thomas Almeida on May 29, 2016, headlining

UFC Fight Night 88 ''UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 88'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 29, 2016, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background A bantamweight bout between top undefeated p ...

. He won the fight by knockout in the first round and also earned a Performance ''of the Night'' bonus. Garbrandt next faced

Takeya Mizugaki (born December 16, 1983) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2005 to 2020, Mizugaki also competed for Absolute ...

on August 20, 2016, at

UFC 202 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the opening minute of the first round.

UFC Bantamweight Championship

Garbrandt faced

Dominick Cruz Dominick Cruz (born March 9, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Cruz ha ...

for the

UFC Bantamweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight class ...

on December 30, 2016, at

UFC 207 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Garbrandt won the fight by unanimous decision after knocking Cruz down twice and nearly finishing him in the fourth round. In January 2017, the UFC announced that Garbrandt would be one of the coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 25 opposite former UFC Bantamweight champion (and former Team Alpha Male teammate) T.J. Dillashaw, with the two expected to face each other on July 8, 2017, at

UFC 213 ''UFC 213: Romero vs. Whittaker'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 8, 2017, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Background The event took plac ...

. However, the bout was scrapped on May 23, after Garbrandt sustained a back injury. The bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217. Despite knocking him down at the end of the first, Dillashaw rallied in the second round and defeated Garbrandt via technical knockout, marking his first loss in his professional career and losing the title. Garbrandt then faced T.J. Dillashaw in a rematch for the

on August 4, 2018, at

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championshi ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Post UFC Championship

Garbrandt made his return against Pedro Munhoz on March 2, 2019 at UFC 235. In a frenetic and short bout, Garbrandt was knocked out in the first round. Both participants received the ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Garbrandt was scheduled to face

Raphael Assunção Raphael Oliveira Assunção (born 19 July 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Recife in Northeast Brazil, Assunção moved to Unite ...

as the co-main event on March 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 8. However, Garbrandt pulled out of the fight on March 12 due to kidney problems. Instead the pair fought each other on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250. Garbrandt got back into the winning column in big fashion, winning the bout via one-punch knockout in the second round. This win earned him the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

''. On August 7, 2020, it was announced that Garbrandt intended to move down a division (from

) and was scheduled to face

Deiveson Figueiredo Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo (born December 18, 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the two-time and current UFC Flyw ...

for the

UFC flyweight championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

on November 21, 2020, at UFC 255. However, it was reported on October 2, 2020 that Garbrandt had to pull out of the contest. Garbrandt later revealed he tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quick ...

on August 29, 2020, as well as suffering from

thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (th ...

brain fog Clouding of consciousness (also known as brain fog or mental fog) occurs when a person is slightly less wakeful or aware than normal. They are not as aware of time or their surroundings and find it difficult to pay attention. People describe this ...

, and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...

. Following his illness, Garbrandt returned at bantamweight and faced

Rob Font Rob Font (born June 25, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2011, Font formerly competed for CES M ...

on May 22, 2021 in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Move to Flyweight

Garbrandt made his

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

debut against Kai Kara-France on December 11, 2021 at

UFC 269 ''UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 11, 2021, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Return to Bantamweight

Garbrandt was scheduled to face

Rani Yahya Rani Ahmad Yahya (born September 12, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and BJJ practitioner. He won the 66 kg division of the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in t ...

on July 9, 2022, at

UFC on ESPN 39 ''UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 39'' and ''UFC Vegas 58'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 9, 2022, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. However, Yahya withdrew in mid June due to a neck injury. The bout with Yahya was rescheduled and was expected to take place on October 1, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 211 ''UFC Fight Night: Dern vs. Yan'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 211'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 69'' and ''UFC Vegas 61'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 1, 2022, at the UFC Apex ...

. In turn, Yahya withdrew again in mid-September for unknown reasons. While seeking a new opponent, Garbrandt also suffered a training injury, pulling him from the card. Garbrandt is scheduled to face

Julio Arce Julio Andres Arce (born October 27, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). He was the former Ring of Combat bantamweight and featherweight champion. He also won the Golden Gloves 2011 Championship. Arce currently competes in the Banta ...

on March 4, 2023 at

UFC 285 ''UFC 285: Jones vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 4, 2023, at the T-Mobile Arena facility in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

Personal life

''The Pact''

On May 8, 2018, Garbrandt's autobiography was published, titled ''The Pact.'' The book details his life, and explains his deep connection, and completed promise, with young

Leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

survivor Maddux Maple. The book also chronicles the story of Garbrandt's young life in the Appalachian region of Ohio and his early fight with drugs to the story of his reign as UFC Bantamweight Champion, and how he brought his friend Maddux Maple along with him for the whole journey to make good on their pact.

Family

During Garbrandt's run with the MMA promotion Pinnacle FC, he met and began dating Danny Pimsanguan. The couple eventually married in July 2017. In October, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. In March 2018, the couple announced the birth of their son, Kai Fisher Garbrandt.

Championships and achievements

Mixed Martial Arts

(One time; former) **

(Two times) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs.

and Pedro Munhoz * MMAJunkie.com **2020 June Knockout of the Month vs.

*Pundit Arena **2017 Fight of the Year vs. T.J. Dillashaw *MMADNA.nl **2016 Rising Star of the Year *World MMA Awards **2016 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year

Folkstyle wrestling

*National High School Coaches Association ** NHSCA Sophomore National Runner-up out of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

(2008) *

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

112 lb DII State Champion out of

(2007) **

119 lb DII State Runner-up out of

(2008)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garbrandt, Cody 1991 births People from Uhrichsville, Ohio Living people Bantamweight mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists from Ohio Ultimate Fighting Championship champions Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers