Good Sports: Cody Gibson

Friday, September 19, 2014

As calmly as Visalia's Cody Gibson wrapped his hands before a recent boxing session in his hometown, you'd never guess the biggest fight of his MMA career was just days away.

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- As calmly as Visalia's Cody Gibson wrapped his hands before a recent boxing session in his hometown, you'd never guess the biggest fight of his MMA career was just days away.

"I'm just going out there to have fun," Gibson said. "This is the funnest part. That's what's so exciting about it. All this training is fun, but it's like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I get to go and do what I love to do."

That is Mt. Whitney grad in a nutshell: cool under pressure but confident, with mental strength unheard of for a 27-year-old. And that's why the Central Valley will be cheering on one of its own at UFC 178 next week in Las Vegas.

"A lot of guys in the UFC fight one or two times a year," Gibson said. "This is my third, and I'm down to have a fourth. While I'm young, let's keep them coming. I'm just enjoying the ride to be honest with you."

"He's a hard person to break down mentally," said Gibson's boxing coach, Eloy Garza. "Or you're not going to break him down mentally. I've tried. I've tried to push him past, to find his limit, haven't found it yet."

Gibson's athletic ability in the Octagon is only a small part of what makes him so easy to root for. His best friend is his little brother Jacob, who suffered a stroke at birth and is developmentally disabled. Cody calls Jacob his hero.

"He's just motivation, you know?" Gibson said of his brother. "I feel like I'm doing what he would do if he was able to. He's a fighter. He's a wrestler. These are the things that all my brothers grew up doing and loving."

And come September 27th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Gibson will look to take the biggest step of his career on UFC's biggest stage, all while staying true to his roots.

"This is where my family lives," Gibson said. "This is where my wife goes to school. There's just so much I'm connected to here. At least for me at this point in my life, like I'm happy to be here, and I don't really want to go anywhere."

One of the valley's own: a fighter with a soft side and a bright future.