Cody Gibson (born September 11, 1987) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

division in the

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

(UFC).

Background

Born in

Blackwell, Oklahoma Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 6,085 as of the 2020 census. Blackwell was established following the Sep ...

, in 1987, Gibson and his brother Keith were adopted in 1989 and moved west, settling in

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-most populous city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 38th most populous in California, and 183 ...

. As an adult, Gibson found out through social media that he also has a sister and met his biological parents for the first time in 2018.

Mixed martial arts career

Regional circuit

While home for the summer during college, a friend of Cody's invited him to a mixed martial arts gym in Exeter, California, to give it a try. He quickly found out that he enjoyed fighting and took his first professional fight only a few weeks after beginning training. Over the next two years, Cody, still wrestling in college, would take a total of three professional fights, despite not having been trained extensively in any discipline other than wrestling. Still, he managed to begin his MMA career with a 3–0 start. After graduating from college, Cody had a lot of regrets about not meeting his potential as a college wrestler. Upon moving back to Visalia, California, he found a local gym called Elite Team Visalia under head coach, judo and jiu-jitsu black belt Tom Knox. Over the next several years, Cody fought on the local circuit while learning the arts of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and boxing. He fought on shows such as Porterville, California's The Warriors Cage, Lemoore, California's Tachi Palace Fights, and made appearances for

Nick Diaz Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and ...

's foray into promoting show called WAR MMA as well as for AXSTV's Titan Fighting Championship.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In February 2014, riding a six-fight win streak, Gibson was signed by the UFC as a short-notice replacement to fight fellow newcomer Aljamain Sterling on February 22, 2014, at UFC 170. Gibson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Gibson faced

Johnny Bedford Johnny Bedford (born January 6, 1983) is an American retired mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer. A professional from 2003 to 2017, he fought in the UFC, Bellator, the Legacy Fighting Alliance, and was a competitor on Spike TV's The Ult ...

on June 28, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 44, replacing an injured

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 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in April 2007. He currently fights in the Bantam ...

. Gibson won the fight via TKO 38 seconds into the first round. Gibson faced

Manvel Gamburyan Manny Gamburyan (; born May 8, 1981) is an Armenian retired mixed martial artist who competed in the UFC's lightweight, featherweight, and bantamweight divisions. A professional competitor since 1999, he was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultima ...

on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178. Gibson lost the fight via submission in the second round Gibson faced

Douglas Silva de Andrade Douglas Silva de Andrade (born June 22, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Silva de Andrade grew up in Castanhal, Brazil. He has an o ...

on February 22, 2015, at

UFC Fight Night 61 ''UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 61'') was a mixed martial arts event held on February 22, 2015, at the Ginásio Gigantinho in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Background The event was the first that the UFC has hosted ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision and was subsequently released from the promotion.

Post-UFC career

On May 18, 2017, Gibson vacated his Bantamweight title and moved up a weight class to fight Adrian Diaz for the TPF Featherweight Championship. He lost the fight via third round submission and retired afterwards. Gibson signed to participate in the Featherweight division of 2019 Professional Fighters League season. However, Gibson was sidelined with bicep and shoulder surgery and was not able to compete.

XMMA

Gibson was scheduled to face John Dodson on July 30, 2021, at XMMA 2. Dodson unfortunately pulled out of the fight due to being involved in a car accident. Canadian prospect Louie Sanoudakis took his place. Gibson won the fight by knock out in just 44 seconds. The bout with Dodson was rescheduled to take place at XMMA 3 on October 23, 2021. Gibson won the fight by unanimous decision. Gibson faced

Ray Borg Ray Borg (born August 4, 1993), is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor until 2023, Borg is best known for his 12–fight tenure in the Ultima ...

on January 28, 2022, at Eagle FC 44: Spong vs. Kharitonov. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Gibson faced fellow UFC veteran Francisco Rivera on November 19, 2022, at Up Next Fighting 3: Rivera vs. Gibson. He won the bout via third-round submission with an arm triangle choke to become the inaugural Up Next Fighting Bantamweight Champion.

The Ultimate Fighter 31

In mid-March 2023, it was announced that Gibson would be competing in the thirty-first season of The Ultimate Fighter 31. In the quarterfinal Gibson faced Mando Gutierrez, and won the fight via TKO in the first round. In the semi-final, Gibson faced Rico DiSciullo, and won the fight via submission in the first round. Gibson faced The Ultimate Fighter Season 27 winner Brad Katona in the tournament final on August 19, 2023, at UFC 292. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. The bout won the '' Fight of the Night'' award.

Return to UFC

Gibson was scheduled to face

Davey Grant David Jeremy Grant (born 18 December 1985) is an English mixed martial artist. He was one of the cast members for UFC TV series The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate and currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate ...

on March 23, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53. However, Grant withdrew due to injury and was replaced by Miles Johns. Gibson lost the bout by unanimous decision. Gibson faced

Brian Kelleher Brian Matthew Kelleher (born August 19, 1986) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Kelleher competed in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor from ...

on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60. He won the fight by an arm-triangle choke submission in the first round. Gibson faced Chad Anheliger on November 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 246. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Gibson faced Da'Mon Blackshear on March 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 254. He lost the fight via a kimura submission in the second round.

Personal life

Aside from fighting, Gibson was a U.S. History and economics teacher and is now a middle school physical education teacher. He has two daughters.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** The Ultimate Fighter 31 (Runner-up) ** Fight of the Night (One time) * Tachi Palace Fights ** TPF Bantamweight Championship (one time) ***One successful title defense *Up Next Fighting **UNF Bantamweight Champion (one time; first)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 21–11 , Da'Mon Blackshear , Submission (kimura) , UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–10 , Chad Anheliger , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–10 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:58 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–10 , Miles Johns , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–9 , Brad Katona , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 292 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 19–8 , Francisco Rivera , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Up Next Fighting 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Commerce, California Commerce is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 12,823 at the 2010 census, up from 12,568 at the 2000 census. It is usually referred to as the City of Commerce to distinguish it from ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–8 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Eagle FC 44 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–7 , John Dodson , Decision (unanimous) , XMMA 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 , Louie Sanoudakis , KO (punches) , XMMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–7 , Gustavo Erak , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 51 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–7 , Adrian Diaz , Submission (guillotine choke) , Tachi Palace Fights 31 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 252 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–6 , Kyle Reyes , KO (punches) , Tachi Palace Fights 29 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:21 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–6 , Rolando Velasco , Decision (unanimous) , Tachi Palace Fights 27 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–6 , Justin Linn , Decision (unanimous) , The Warriors Cage 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Porterville, California Porterville is a city at the base of Southern Sierra Nevada mountains on the eastern side of San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. Serving as the ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, ; , ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian Federative units of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of roughly 1.4 million inhabitants (2022) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, 11th-most p ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–5 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC 178 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:56 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–4 ,

, TKO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 , Aljamain Sterling , Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 170 ''UFC 170: Rousey vs. McMann'' was a mixed martial arts held on February 22, 2014, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was released on DVD on May 27, 2014. The DVD was distributed by ''Anchor Bay Entertainment''. Ba ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Evan Esguerra , Decision (unanimous) , Tachi Palace Fights 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Chad George , Submission (guillotine choke) , The Warriors Cage 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Darin Cooley , TKO (punches and knee) , WAR MMA 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:46 ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Junior Villanueva , Submission (rear-naked choke) , The Warriors Cage 16 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:30 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Andrew Whitney , Decision (unanimous) , Titan FC 24 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–3 , Justin Santistevan , Submission (guillotine choke) , EFWC: The Untamed 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 , Casey Olson , Decision (unanimous) , Tachi Palace Fights 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 , Ulysses Gomez , Submission (guillotine choke) , Tachi Palace Fights 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Walel Watson , TKO (punches and elbows) , Tachi Palace Fights 9 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:09 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Art Becerra , Decision (unanimous) , The Warriors Cage 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 , David Bollea , Submission (armlock) , Tachi Palace Fights 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ray Cervera , Decision (unanimous) , Tachi Palace Fights 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Dustin Rocha , TKO (punches) , Tachi Palace Fights: Best of Both Worlds , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:48 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Billy Terry , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge 81 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States ,

Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, Win , align=center, 2–0 , Rico DiSciullo , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , rowspan=2, The Ultimate Fighter: Team McGregor vs. Team Chandler , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 , rowspan=2,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Mando Gutierrez , TKO (flying knee and punches) , (airdate) , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:24 ,

References

External links

UFC Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Cody 1987 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Sportspeople from Visalia, California 21st-century American sportsmen American adoptees People from Blackwell, Oklahoma