TEMPLETON – Cody Gibson never could have imagined that he would be fighting in a mixed martial arts bout, let alone for the Ultimate Fighting Championships, just a couple of months before his 37th birthday.
It was 16 years ago when Gibson made his MMA debut, earning just $500 for his efforts — $250 to fight and another $250 to win.
After 16 years of ups and downs in his career, the Mt. Whitney High School graduate and former Woodlake and El Diamante High School teacher is hoping to take advantage of the opportunity and reap the benefits of all of his hard work and sacrifice over the years.
Gibson (20-10) will step into the UFC Octagon again as he takes on Brian Kelleher (24-15) in a bantamweight bout July 20 at UFC on ESPN 60 in Las Vegas.
“I’ve put in 16-plus years of work and it’s time to cash in the chips,” Gibson said. “I need to go out and win fights. I want to go out and win and win bonuses. You have to be an exciting fighter for that. I think [Kelleher’s] a good dance partner.”
Pushing 37 years old, Gibson knows his time in the sport is limited, but it has been quite the ride for the Visalia native who now resides in Templeton.
More: 'Heck of a run': Porterville boys basketball coach Lance Wallace retires after 24 seasons
Getting Started
Gibson made his MMA debut July 27, 2008, on a Gladiator Challenge card in Porterville. It took Gibson less than one round to defeat his opponent, Billy Terry, via technical knockout. After such a promising start, one would think Gibson had been training and preparing for a career in MMA, but that was far from reality.
“I was just wrestling in college and had very unstable living conditions financially,” Gibson said. “I don’t have a trust fund so it was a lot of couch surfing and I was just a wild, young guy. I started doing it to make a little bit of money. It gave me something to do in summertime to keep me in shape.”
Gibson said he was approached to fight on the Gladiator Challenge card and he thought, "what the heck."
“I trained for a week and I said I’m going to get into a fight, and if I’m losing, I’ll just take him down,” Gibson said. “I had confidence that if I’m getting beat I could take him down and not get beat up.”
Gibson didn’t get beat up, but it wasn’t until a year later that he decided to step back into the ring. He fought Dustin Rocha at a Tachi Palace Fights card in Lemoore, and by the end of 2009, Gibson was 3-0 to start his career.
Losing hasn’t always sat well with Gibson. He suffered his first loss to David Bollea, the nephew of Hulk Hogan, at TPF 5 on July 9, 2010.
“I remember thinking, I gave it a try, and I don’t know why I kept thinking in my head that I’m done doing it,” Gibson said. “I gave it a try and won a couple fights and then I thought I was done.”
He was convinced to fight again and after beating Art Becerra Jan. 21, 2011, at The Warriors Cage in Porterville. That's when Gibson decided to take fighting seriously.
Gibson made his UFC debut Feb. 22, 2014, against Aljamain Sterling. Both fighters were making their UFC debuts, and in a very competitive fight, it was Sterling who squeaked out the decision victory.
“I had this fight on short notice and I was super out of shape,” Gibson said. “I was fighting a tough kid out of Fresno. He wasn’t easy for me to take down. I got into a fight. I had to dig deep. For me, there was something there, and from then on I’ve been all in. I dove into fighting and being in the gym all day.”
Gibson continued to have success on the regional scene, starting his career with an 11-3 record. Then the major leagues came calling — the UFC.
First UFC stint
Gibson bounced back from the loss to defeat Johnny Bedford via TKO in just 38 seconds on June 28, 2014.
It didn’t take long for Gibson to step back into the octagon as he fought Manny Gamburyan Sept. 27, 2014. This was a fight Gibson would probably love to do over again. Gibson dismantled his opponent for two rounds. He completely dominated and was doing everything right until a mistake cost him as he got locked in a submission, forcing him to tap out with just four seconds left in round two.
His first UFC run came to an end Feb. 22, 2015, exactly one year after his UFC debut, as he lost a decision to Douglas Silva de Andrade in his home country of Brazil.
“I was really disappointed,” Gibson said about being released after going 1-3 in the UFC. “I feel like I could’ve done better and had more success than I had … Because the fights were so competitive and close, I felt I could’ve had a better run. That was my initial feeling.”
At the same time Gibson was competing in the UFC, he was in the process of pursuing a teaching career. He was also starting a family and those two things were drawing him away from fighting, but he wasn’t ready to give it up just yet even though he knew he had to work his way back to another shot at the UFC.
Finishing with a 1-3 record will leave any fighter disappointed, but Gibson gained a lot of respect in the sport with his performances. He lost a very close decision to Sterling, who would eventually become the UFC bantamweight champion. He recorded a knockout victory, got caught in a submission to a respected fighter in Gamburyan, and lost another decision in a foreign country to a fighter who is still in the UFC and boasts a 29-6 record.
“I remember telling myself to continue to fight on the regional scene,” Gibson said. “‘Either you’ll win out and get back to the UFC, or if you lose, you can call it a career and be done.”
More: College of the Sequoias elevates Tulare native Matt Mendonca as new head football coach
Rebuilding
Gibson took some time off from fighting after being released by the UFC. It wasn’t until April 1, 2016, that he stepped back in the cage. But it marked the beginning of quite an impressive year. Gibson fought three times in 2016, winning all three fights, including capturing the Tachi Palace Fights bantamweight title with a hard-fought win over Rolando Velasco.
Then in 2017, Gibson lost his bantamweight title to Adrian Diaz. True to his word, Gibson said he retired in the cage. He lost and he was done fighting — or so he thought.
“I thought I was done fighting,” Gibson said. “I got back into the gym with my jiu-jitsu and boxing coach and thought, ‘If I’m training twice a day because that’s what I enjoy doing, I might as well continue to fight.’ I came back and had a fight while I was teaching at El Diamante. It wasn’t my best performance but I thought I’d continue going.”
Gibson fought once in 2018 — a win over Gustavo Erik — but struggled to stay busy in the cage because of injuries and the pandemic. He had two surgeries in 2019 on his labrum and then a torn bicep, which forced him to withdraw from the Professional Fighters League 145-pound tournament.
“That time was rough because I was getting older,” Gibson said. "Circumstances or not, I just wasn’t active. That’s when I decided to move to the Central Coast.”
Gibson taught social studies for a couple of years at Arroyo Grande High School, but has since converted to a middle school PE teacher in Atascadero.
During that time, Gibson made his training home at The Pit, which is known for having trained MMA legends like Chuck Liddell, Jake Shields, Tim Kennedy and Glover Teixeira.
He finally got back into the cage in 2021, winning three of his next four fights, including wins over former UFC veterans John Dodson and Francisco Rivera.
Then an interesting opportunity came calling.
The Ultimate Fighter
It is safe to say the UFC slipped into Gibson’s direct messages. That is how he first heard about a chance to get back into the UFC — by competing in the company’s reality television show The Ultimate Fighter.
“I was at a crossroads when that happened,” Gibson said. “… They sent me a direct message on Instagram and that’s how it started. We did a Zoom interview and they told my manager that I didn’t make the show. I was really jaded and upset. Then they called back and said I’d be on the show.”
Gibson said he went on to endure quite the ordeal to get on the show. There were more fighters than they needed so they needed to conduct further interviews and medical examinations.
During that time, he spent an entire week basically locked in a hotel room in Las Vegas. Gibson also said that one of the coaches, Conor McGregor, needed to postpone filming of the show so he ended up being stuck in the hotel room for a couple of weeks before filming began.
When filming began Gibson ended up being on coach Michael Chandler’s team. He made quick work of his two opponents, winning by first-round TKO and first-round submission en route to the bantamweight final. In a hotly-contested finale, Gibson came up just short as he lost to Brad Katona via unanimous decision.
Gibson’s performances during the show and during the finale were enough to get the attention of UFC President Dana White, who signed Gibson to a 7-fight deal with the UFC.
“I really enjoyed the experience,” Gibson said. “It was cool for me to get out of my comfort zone to train with guys from all over the world. You get some new coaching with some new eyes and build friendships and relationships with people. It was a good experience.”
Filming the season of The Ultimate Fighter didn’t come without its challenges. Gibson said he got along with most of the fighters, and that his rivalry with Katona was a bit overblown. He went on to say that the worst person on the cast was McGregor.
“The most challenging thing was being away from my family,” said Gibson. “I didn’t anticipate that part of it. I wouldn’t do it again, but I’m glad I had the experience.”
One Last Ride?
Even though Gibson didn’t win The Ultimate Fighter, he made his mark as he earned a seven-fight contract to stay in the UFC. He lost his first fight on the contract — a decision to Miles Johns on March 23.
Coming off two straight losses, Gibson feels he is in dire need of a win on July 20. His opponent Brian Kelleher fights out of New York and posts a 24-15 record. Kelleher is also on a losing streak of his own, having lost three straight fights including a knockout loss to former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt on Dec. 16.
“He’s a tough guy and has been around the UFC for a long time,” Gibson said. “He’s fought some of the best guys. He’s a good fighter out of New York. He’s on a bit of a skid versus tough competition. I need a win and he needs a win. We’re both motivated. It should make for a good fight.”
Gibson is shooting for a win in his next fight, but he wants more than that. He would love to take home one of the fighter performance bonuses.
“I have a lot to give and a lot to show,” Gibson said. “The goal is to make the dream last as long as possible. The goal is to have as many fights and get as many bonuses and capitalize on the opportunity I have in front of me.”
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: The Ultimate Journey: Visalia native Cody Gibson’s MMA career has spanned 16 years
Most Popular
Comments / 0