5 Things You Might Not Know About Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt must travel a difficult path to remain champion.

The undefeated Team Alpha Male star will defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight crown against former stablemate turned archrival T.J. Dillashaw in the UFC 217 co-main event this Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The two men coached opposite one another on Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series and were originally set to square off at UFC 213 on July 8. However, injuries have kept Garbrandt on the shelf since he dethroned Dominick Cruz some 11 months ago at UFC 207. There, he became just the fourth bantamweight champion in UFC history, joining Cruz, Dillashaw and Renan Barao. Blessed with blinding speed, ferocious punching power and an unwavering competitive spirit, Garbrandt has secured nine of his 11 career wins by knockout or technical knockout.

As the man they call “No Love” prepares for his first title defense against Dillashaw, here are five things you might not know about him.

1. He has a small-town chip on his shoulder.

Garbrandt hails from Urichsville, Ohio, a 2.81-square-mile city on the eastern side of The Buckeye State with a population of a little more than 5,000 people.

2. Quality opposition has sharpened his skills.

The six men Garbrandt has faced and defeated since he joined the UFC roster in 2015 -- Cruz, Takeya Mizugaki, Thomas Almeida, Augusto Mendes, Enrique Briones and Marcus Brimage -- own a cumulative record of 95-31. That equates to a .754 winning percentage.

3. He has a soft spot for the Sweet Science.

Garbrandt compiled a 32-1 record as an amateur boxer.

4. His 5-foot-7, 135-pound frame packs quite a punch.

A protégé of former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Urijah Faber, Garbrandt ranks first on the UFC’s all-time list among bantamweights in knockdowns landed (eight), according to FightMetric. In fact, he has knocked down all six of his Ultimate Fighting Championship opponents. He floored Cruz and Brimage twice apiece and dropped Mizugaki, Almeida, Mendes and Briones once each.

5. Like many other successful mixed martial artists, he has an amateur wrestling base upon which to draw.

Garbrandt was an accomplished wrestler at Claymont High School before he turned his focus to boxing and eventually MMA. He became the first freshman in school history to win a state championship during the 2006-07 campaign and finished as the state runner-up a year later as a sophomore. Garbrandt did not wrestle as a junior or senior.