How getting stabbed led Cody Garbrandt to MMA

Cody Gardrandt is country – hard working, honest, and humble. How country is he? Well, he was born and raised in Uhrichsville, Ohio (pop. 5,413). And he once got stabbed at a county bar.

A country bar, people bored, my hometown, said Garbrandt to Champions.co, as transcribed by MMAjunkie. It was a little back-country bar. I was going to pick up some buddies. We came out, and it was raining, and a bunch of people were in a fight.

I saw one of my friends getting jumped and getting booted in the face, and next thing you now, this guy came out in front of me and was squawking about, ‘I’ve been to prison,’ and I was like, ‘Man, I’m not even trying to fight.’

He pulled out a blade and he kind of hit my chest with it, but it hit the end of it, and I went back. And I was like, all right … and I had to do what I had to do. He ended up stabbing my friend, too, through his arm and bicep, and ended up severing his bicep. So it was one of those things – the wrong time to be there.

The incident led to a sober assessment of his life, which led to MMA, which led to the UFC, which led to Friday’s title fight. And Garbrandt says the experience is a source of strength.

It goes back to being a survivor,” said Garbrandt. “So if Dominick is man enough to take me into those [championship] rounds, I’ve been in there where it was fight or flight, life or death.

I don’t think he’s ever been in a situation where he’s had to pull himself out of something like that. He’s been in close fights, but not against a survivor. Not against a fighter like myself.

Cody Garbrandt fights Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 207 on Friday.