Cody Garbrandt Reveals How His Brother Saved Him From Committing Suicide in High School

Cody Garbrandt has made a very successful career for himself in mixed martial arts. The 27 year-old entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2015 with a perfect 5-0 record and worked his way through the bantamweight division, remaining undefeated on his way to taking the title from Dominick Cruz. He lost the belt in his first title defense to his former teammate T.J. Dillashaw before being beaten again in a rematch at UFC 227 earlier this month.

While “No Love” has lost two fights in a row, he’s still considered young for an MMA athlete and may have a lot left to offer the sport. Garbrandt revealed to “I am Second” recently how none of his success in MMA would have been possible if it wasn’t for the love and support he received from his older brother Zach earlier in his life.

Garbrandt explained that during high school, he went through a dark time where drugs and depression took the place of his drive to excel in sports (via MMAJunkie.com):

“There’s a part of the story where Zach came and intervened in my life, where I wanted to give up. I was a teenager. I think I was a senior in high school. I wanted to become a state champion again. I won state as a freshman, I got beat as a sophomore, I was injured as a junior. Wrestling was something I did my whole entire life, and I think losing the passion for that, I didn’t have any drive. I just felt unaccomplished, and I got in with the wrong crowd and started doing some drugs and partying and kind of living super carelessly, and it almost consumed my life. I felt like my road was running to an end.

“For a while, I wasn’t who I was,” Garbrandt added. “I was in a very dark place, a very very dark place, and almost hung myself. And my brother came in the door, and he saved my life. It’s the first time I’m talking about it, but I’ve never been more grateful for him. He just came in and busted down the door and gave me the biggest hug and sat there with me and cried with me and said everything was going to be all right. That was the day that, you know, really was a changing point for me and my life, as well.”