Cody Garbrandt: The UFC Champion Who Lost Everything

The Rise and Fall Of Cody Garbrandt is one of the most exhilarating and saddening stories the UFC has to offer. It traverses the lowest moments an MMA fighter can though, but also the highest highs. Cody's story is mangled by the convergence of several of the sport's greatest fighters from Dominick Cruz, TJ Dillashaw, and Uriah Faber. It's also an inspiring tale of a young cancer survivor who pulled Cody from his darkest moment and together they rose to become champions.
This is the Story of the Rise and Fall of Cody Garbrandt.
Thanks so much for waiting out for this one guys I really appreciate it!
Love Always,
- The Academic
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[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Get your name in the credits and support me and the devlopment of Documentaries: www.patreon.com/MMAacademic 😎👹

[@eathanharris42]

I wanted to watch a good video but dang man I wasn't in the mood to be crying 5 minutes in seeing how he met Maddox and watching those pictures of him in the hospital bed ..broke my heart God Bless you Cody and Maddox and thanks for the video man

[@ameremortal]

Damn….I had no idea. I have no words to explain how I feel.

[@studbourbon798]

Never take your health for granted. Helping that little boy is better than any championship and he'll see that one day. A true hero.

[@MakoTheFrog]

“The brightest stars burn the fastest, so we must love them while we can.” I'm really happy for Cody, and this quote fits him so well i feel, sure he fell fast but he accomplished what he set out to do, he became the champion, saved the life of a child battling cancer, and broke the cycle with his own kid. He deserves to be happy.

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thanks for that quote, it truly is fitting!

[@MakoTheFrog]

@@MixedMartialAcademic and thankyou for making this doc, you are really good at what you do and i'm sorry that its getting taken down because of a broken silly system.

[@alexkane84]

True but it's a bitter pill to swallow either way

[@Ghostface6]

The child died sadly

[@leeholmes9962]

Well said mate 👍🇬🇧✌️

[@badbabybear1]

This video made me realize sometimes we're overly focused on MMA fighters' victories and performances inside the cage. As you said, sometimes we're unaware and unappreciative of the other parts of their lives. Cody may have lost the title and been subsequently beat in fights but he's there for his kids. Champion outside the cage, which sometimes is what really matters.

[@themostdiabolicalhater5986]

Fans of a sport care about how the athletes perform more than the athletes’ personal lives? 😮 shocking

[@DabNaggit]

@@themostdiabolicalhater5986 as though personal drama never enters into this sport. K.

[@shaun5047]

Yea man and I’m sure he wished he could have gone further, regardless his career was a success. The majority of fighters never even make it to the big show (ufc) let alone become the champion. Hell even challenging for the title is considered an achievement. Regardless of how long he stayed champ, Cody’s name is forever written in the history book of mma

[@kanebanner]

He also showed multiple times he was a unlikeable douchebag bully.

[@ttierced3613]

Made me realize he would be the perfect movie story if TJ hadn't juiced and if he hadn't said "Hangin' with the booooooyys"

[@King_JappyJoe]

Seems like Cody matured into a Great Father, and that in itself is worth more than any belt or amount of money in the world.

[@swizzler8053]

So true bro.

[@JordanCamus.]

I got to meet Cody while visiting Vegas. He was so kind, even offered to hook me up with tickets to a UFC event. Knowing more of his story makes me admire the guy even more. Especially seeing how he’s more focused on being the best father that he can be.

[@ufchighlights1]

It’s crazy how that dillshaw is retired. Cody will never be champion again. The division passed him up.

[@TheAlphaDingo]

never really been a Cody fan but this documentary was great and gave so many insights I didn't know about him. Respect for his journey and his achievements, regardless of the fall - he still achieved great success and no doubt helped contribute to the wellbeing and care of his son and also Maddox which is far more important than anything he could do in the octagon. Great vid!

[@hillweggs641]

Same here

[@georgecostanza4233]

The worst thing he ever did was staying with alpha Alf Uriah Faber who used them and just to get as much of his money drained and brain cells as possible then he moved to Vegas cuz he's probably broke

[@thenes006]

How did he lose everything? He has a son he loves and everyone he loves is alive and healthy. Sounds like he won.

[@offdaink364]

Bro I’m down here In cali at Uriah fabers not allowing his close friend to fall off at all man’s still has a gtr and etc

[@georgecostanza4233]

Stupid he lost everything meaning his career has nothing to do with his son of course he has a beautiful son his wife will probably leaving now anyway cuz he's probably broke and he's IQ has gone down drastically from a 9 to a 3.7 mainly due to alfelf Uriah Faber

[@georgecostanza4233]

​@@offdaink364how stupid in shallow you he has a GTR I'm sure that thing will be sold soon come on you are so ridiculous bro

[@moreblack]

TJ screaming in Cody's face after KO'ing him, took his soul. He was never the same.

[@jwm1444]

Yeah, I would have to imagine that changes you as a fighter. Mentally, with that much personal stuff on the line, how do you come with that same intensity again?

[@_Chipster]

@Duklja - Srbija at least twice . . .

[@terra2805]

Only Tj was juiced to the god damned gills. That cheating SOB hasn't looked anywhere near as good as he once did since he got caught. Same pattern as Vitor Belfort. At least Cody can hold his head high knowing he worked his way up and won the title without lowering himself to the standards of that cheating snake.

[@johndover3594]

Yep that’s why the drug cheat should have been banned for life

[@chuckandary7115]

@@johndover3594 100% agree that’s bs Cody didn’t deserve an unfair fight, I lost all my respect for TJ but I still feel Cody was delt an unfair hand by a cheater Look at TJ now he is off the performance enhancers he don’t even look as strong and he is not winning lol

[@derekranson8860]

Cody is a great guy. He stayed on my couch multiple times when I was in college and he was a freshman and sophomore in high school. Few things missing was he transferred to New Philadelphia senior year and was ruled ineligible to wrestle when he tried to go back to claymont. He did wrestle in college at Newberry but was academically ineligible then got into boxing in the Pittsburgh area. Lance Palmer got him out to Sacramento.

[@anon2427]

Another great video. During the team alpha male drama I really didn’t like Cody, but the more I learned about his journey the more I respected him. I hope he’s doing alright and knows that it’s okay to prioritize his fatherhood and family over fighting.

[@joshuapatrick682]

Dude put on one of the best BW performances of all time. No Love might have had a very short time at the top, but he made it there and how many people can even say that?

[@a7gaskell]

Seriously some top level stuff man. I’ve seen a couple of your videos and it’s just been ridiculously well put together

[@terra2805]

His performance against the dominator was absolutely flawless. That was Cody at his very best and in his ultimate flow state. His downfall was hard to watch as I was rooting for him against that cheating snake Dillashaw. I hope he dusts himself off, finds a new camp to compliment his TAM training and makes a comeback. All I can say is good luck Cody, I'll be watching win or lose.

[@nicholasdonin1465]

What's hard is knowing that faber imposed himself in that battle. Made Cody's corner, who got him the title, take a back seat. I think faber vicariously living thru Cody against TJ was a big reason it ended the way it did.

[@Rspenesmit]

@Sheily ArdoneCubanaEspañola🇪🇸 they all do some sort of drug enhancers, most of their careers, very few have not done so,

[@Switcheroo1]

TJ was just better, and finished him even faster in the second fight.. Cody liked exchange in the pocket, with his hands down, chin unprotected (that’s the downside to his wicked hand speed) Dillashaw had the threat of the takedown, could mix in head kicks, and finish someone on the ground if need be.. just a more complete fighter, but yeah Cody was pretty sensational at his best.. just lacked the chin

[@georgecostanza4233]

Make sure you stay away from alpha elf aka Uriah Faber

[@deathdog1392]

The story with the kid is one of the most heart touching in all of sports not just MMA. IDC about the UFC keyfabe, he did a great thing for that kid. I will always be a big fan of Cody for that! 👍

[@WunHitWonder]

Watching this video was refreshing for a few reasons. First being it is nice to see what a good person Cody is when he is not trash talking opponents. His positive side is never showcased in promo videos and he is a good dude. Secondly, it is a nice reminder no matter how a person is in public when you meet them, you don't see their turmoils behind the scenes they deal with. I needed that reminder today. Thank you.

[@truman368]

Well said

[@Drexlyy]

yep now he’s about to get clipped by rony yaya😭

[@i5tephen668]

Seeing an entirely new side of Cody I never knew about was extremely refreshing, and emotionally moving. I wish him NOTHING but the best. You’re work is phenomenal keep it up. OSS!

[@bradm2856]

Cody will go down as a legend in the game. Real nice guy. Wish him the best. A success story. Like a lot of us that could've gone down a dark path but turned it around. Mad respect.

[@Gingerbreadgorl]

Cody is fairly local to me and honestly the reason I started following mma. It’s been rough watching him fall, can only imagine what it feels like for him. I’d love to see him get a few wins under his belt and retire gracefully but… few do. Great video as always!

[@Wombola]

7:40 I've seen it before but almost cried still. Such a beautiful moment.

[@FTWLiveMusicScene]

Thanks for putting this video together, well done ! I completely identify with Cody, no Dad around, fighting all the time, massive bottled up anger...I am at least glad he found a way to channel his rage to top if only temporary - inspirational story

[@jameskroff]

The combination of physiology, personal development, and working thru struggle are important traits of a warrior. I love how you add this to the stories of these fighters. Truly motivating to see!!

[@bullettomy7thheart]

facts

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thank you so much Josh that really means a lot!

[@jackjones2067]

Love this channel 🙌 finally inspired me to get up and try some ju jitsu keep doing what your doing 👍👍

[@xblacklistedx4888]

My man.. great video! Cody was one of the guys I always thought was going to be champ. Ever sense the dillashaw fight he hasn't been the same. Will always love his point at Cruz and love what he did. He has been a great one.. great guy!

[@havenlewis5913]

Just wanted to say thanks for making such quality content. Really enjoying it.

[@littlerichard96]

I knew all of this and I still got goosebumps seeing the clips of Cody winning - you have a serious talent my man, amazing documenter

[@richcantgame]

Not a huge fan of Cody but he obviously had a great story to champion and you could see how much he cared about Maddux. I’ve seen other celebrities use kids with health problems to make themself look better and I didn’t get that at all from Cody. (Probably hoping to do for Maddux what his own brother did for him, save his life.)

[@joegattog6695]

They still hangout too together when he’s not in camp. He posted on his Instagram that they went to his Hischool play

[@Rspenesmit]

he may be a good guy outside the Ring but inside it, he is a child that acts like an arz & lets idiots like Faber influence him, he should have left the team with T.J. and he would have fared much better as they were good friends, I think Faber was a touch jealous of that friendship as he wanted no part of T.J. himself.

[@OllieBlazin]

I can feel the heatwave coming again…

[@jakehill5359]

Love your videos man ! Great work as always!

[@jessepriaulx4259]

Really insightful video 👏 The night Cody beat Cruz was a masterclass, so many intangibles that real students of the game could appreciate. Hope Cody and his family find peace.

[@Satchamo_Jones]

I'm happy to see the steady growth of your channel, amazing video as always!

[@diegor5830]

Your channel and videos are so underrated the quality of video you produce is second to none.

[@UseTheLess00]

Even though you've already set the bar high with docs like El Cucuy and more recently TJ's, you may have just outdone yourself. For all it matters, you have my unconditional support

[@joshfranklin1894]

Wow! This is an extremely awesome video, so emotional

[@Foggstgaasunsbsi]

extraordinary video like always. Love the content, keep grinding!

[@ginovalentino5735]

Great Doc. I watched this the first time a few years ago when you first put it out.

[@danielstaystrong]

These videos are really exceptional!!! Thanks so much.

[@sicmic]

I'm so glad I discovered your channel. Your videos are phenomenal.

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thank you so much my friend!

[@fernyology]

Such a beautiful deep video Cody is one of the greats 🙏🏽❤️

[@amiineem8168]

Great guy Cody, thank you dude for making this amazing video as a tributeto a great champ and great person.

[@Elber_Gudo]

Didn’t know Cody’s full story! Respect, and amazing video

[@brandonwoods-viviano8713]

You never stop impressing me with these videos bro.

[@Josh-ro5tf]

Your videos are amazing. Keep up the great work!

[@Dolf9271986]

This is an amazing video. You should be really proud of this.

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thank you so much my friend

[@michaelyounes29]

That was beautifully put together x

[@michaelbelluche5454]

Ok man you’re videos are awesome I wish you the best wow seriously got me in my feelings with this one really hit home!

[@Honkojack27]

Beautiful video man. Fantastic narrative.

[@pablovint]

Insane video mate! Freaking love your content

[@leeholmes9962]

Loads of respect to visit the little kid and feel the pain he was going through that to me is a great person I'm glad the little one pulled through this was both a heart breaking and inspirational story ✌️🇬🇧👍

[@chrisandvonna2]

Much love and respect to this dedicated dad and friend in need. He should be celebrated as an exceptional example of courage. I don’t see any downside

[@LiamSeniorYT]

Enjoyed that mate!

[@chef8077]

I'll always love Cody! He's an amazing fighter and I wish him only the best life has to offer for him and his family!

[@tomsullivan652]

Really nice work, glad i watched.

[@mattmunson3256]

Your a got damn boss with these documentaries mate!

[@user-hz9gm5cf6q]

Such a good documentary. Thank you very mush for the video. I make my presentation in English class based on the video and it is such a pleasure to do it with my favorite topic.

[@EH9]

Can't wait for this!

[@workinghands1344]

love your dedication

[@thisisutubnottwitterwhyhandles]

5:14 "I remember when he walked in I was a little nervous because I saw this big guy" I know it's an emotional moment and all but I can't get over the fact he described Cody as a "big guy".

[@lol-um3gm]

A great video as always but this one especially is amazing

[@lol-um3gm]

Good work

[@rbob2416]

Mate, this in incredible! Well done!

[@dillondavis5063]

No matter what still one of my favorite fighters ever 🐐👑

[@rblxplaysmochax6808]

Toe to Toe ..... every time.

[@tpeterson9140]

All respect to Cody for stepping in the ring not just once but multiple times even after taking beatings!

[@paulzionsinger9355]

I met this guy two weeks ago after his win in Vegas at Wynn. Absolute class. He took photos with fans, handshakes. Dude is real humble and classy

[@phil_matic]

In his one fight with Cruz, for 25 minutes, Garbrandt was the greatest fighter that ever lived. I don't think I have ever seen such a spectacular beating against such an illusive opponent. Cruz, the fighter that could not be hit, was not only hit hard and plenty, but his own strategy was used against him, and Cody evaded Dominick in a way that Dominick has to all of his past opponents. When Garbrandt's confidence was at an all time high, it seemed no one on earth could beat him. He had amazing KO power, and he was pretty good defensively. I hope we can see another winning streak out of him before he calls it a career, but if we don't, I'm happy to have watched him on the big stage

[@Mark-uh4zd]

That fight was really something else.

[@skunky-lee]

love your content!! keep it up!!

[@mikemorris9902]

Man I love your channel

[@spelunkingmonkey7630]

Honestly, I hope that wherever Cody is now, he’s still being a good father. At the end of the day that matters more. The highs in the sport are higher than anything but being there for his son will pay off way more in the future.

[@dereklerner6322]

great video well done

[@georgehandle5433]

great video brother keep up the good work

[@r8m8s8]

These docus are excellent !

[@gashscumkar6909]

Cody is a success story regardless. Love your videos by the way, excellently put together

[@mohammadmohammed4914]

I can’t wait 🤜🏿🤜🏿🤜🏿🤜🏿

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Appreciate it my friend! More to come as always

[@Kortyzoll]

Absolutely masterpiece 🙏

[@blacktemplar5970]

Brilliant documentary 👏

[@secre7]

He gets memed on hard nowadays, but he was one of the reasons I got into mma, he was so fun to watch on his rise

[@KushbyAdoki]

These are so good

[@Redsoxman9991]

Great vid. Would’ve liked to see you cover more about all the losses he had after the 2 to Dillashaw.

[@mannyblackstar]

I'm happy you made a video for Cody. Good guy and one hell of an athlete when was in his prime 🙏🏻

[@fergus.1018]

Great video.

[@IraqiSniper107]

Hang in there Cody. You're bigger than the UFC Showcase. Your not defeated unless you allow a small thing define who you are. theres chapters that we all must walkthrough. Walk and keep on moving forward. God Bless!

[@BossmanRat]

Winning the belt for that kid.. almost brought a tear to me eye

[@AdrianGonzalez-nk2fg]

I'm happy he achieved what he wanted, being ufc champion and giving his family a better life than the one he got. But it's also really sad to see how his team, specially Urijah, just used him however they wanted, fueled his anger and ego with lies and bad decisions, just because they hated TJ. At least he finally left them, hope he does better now and goes back to being the Cody we saw against Cruz

[@megamanxhunter]

To be honest, that anger made no sense to me. They hate TJ for leaving, but that shouldn't never have been down to TJ and Cody. Uriah's anger was never about TJ leaving, because we saw other fighters leave the camp and he didn't hold a grudge. His hatred came from the fact that TJ chose Duane Ludwig over him, that's his problem.

[@antonbeats9777]

Wow this opened my eyes on who Cody is, he has a heart of gold, to grow up without a father, avoid going down the wrong path in life as many of us do in his situation, he worked hard and became a world champion, he also motivated a child going through hell and both fulfilled their promises to one another, he is now a father and even without a good father figure in life he isn’t repeating the same mistakes his own dad had and is being an amazing father to his child. This is what a real man is, I hope I can be the same man in my journey.

[@ABr-hs3wx]

No joke , I think this is the best video I've ever seen my entire life . The story behind it end the work that went into it amazes me .

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thank yous o much my friend appreciate it!

[@lukemclellan2141]

@@MixedMartialAcademic I'm only five minutes in after watching your mythical fighters video (which was hilarious, by the way!). I've been a long time fan of mixedmollywhoppery and more recently, napoleon blownapart. Looks like I now have a third MMA channel to add to my subbed list. Great job and please keep it up! Thank you.

[@ep_got_the_sauce]

That was amazing dude, got me crying and shit. Love your videos 🤟

[@LibraWrite]

I Discovered Your Channel Today Awesome Vids. New Subscriber

[@USMCNav]

This is more of a success story to me. Should be re-titled, "From Losing Everything to UFC Champion." Respect to Cody!

[@MrBlackPasta]

Here here. Beautiful.

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

Thanks for coming

[@TTT-ki9uv]

This is really well done documentary. I love that you included iamsecond and 'hangin with da boyzzz' lol

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

How can you ever forget hanging with the boys. And that I am second interview is something else

[@TTT-ki9uv]

@@MixedMartialAcademic thank you for your efforts . Liked and subscribed

[@cwx8]

The problem with being this hyped is you get big fights. So you move up and down the ladder fast. You lose sight of the title fast as well

[@yohankim5577]

Thank you for this beautiful documentary. This was wonderful. For all of those who want to dicover Cody and Maddux's story on a much more deeper level, I highly recommend his book, The Pact. I don't care if Cody never fights again. Reading his book was so frustrating. Cody fell on his ass a hundred times way before his ascent to fame and fortune. And everytime he fell, he got up and overcame his obstacles. Just for that, his story is remarkable and in my eyes, he'll always be champ. Champ in and out the ring.

[@MixedMartialAcademic]

That’s for your comment and kind words! Really means a lot!

[@R.J.G469]

If his story was a downfall then where do I sign up. This man is inspiring.

[@chimpmasterflex]

I'm someone who has only recently gotten back into mma roughly a year ago, and had no idea on the first half of this video. That kind of downfall is so tragic, because I mostly knew him as the dude who was just trying to bully dillishaw. Had no idea of the other side of him.

[@bentolinmaddox9806]

I’m not an MMA fan, but I got this recommendation because I watch a lot of boxing videos. What good fortune! You’re a great storyteller, and Cody is a worthy subject who accomplished more than most people ever will in their lives. Thanks man.

[@runecr69]

8:24 You cant show us that photo while we got tears in our eyes bro😂😂that got me

[@brettmitchell8014]

This video is awesome.

[@therealREDRUMeVeRy1]

wow...well done job on this, i came in a cody hater and after watching this its hard to dislike the guy, great video

[@shinthetibia]

thank you for humanising these fighters

[@josephkelley8641]

Cody's a beast. Yeah, might be something that needs adjusting, but the dude always brings it. Always makes a great fight/card. Real heart as well.

[@markcredit6086]

I want this guy to produce a video for my life...what a great job