After Eight Years Away, Cody Gibson is One Win Away from UFC Return

Cody Gibson defeated Rico DiSciullo to punch his ticket to the bantamweight finals of TUF 31

There are moments when fact is even more compelling than fiction.

Cody Gibson is living proof of that.

Gibson has not fought for the UFC since 2015. In order to change that, he needed to defeat Rico DiSciullo with a torn MCL.

And that is exactly what Gibson did.

“It’s been a long road to get here,” says Gibson, who competes against Brad Katona this Saturday at UFC 292 in The Ultimate Fighter bantamweight finals. “I got cut from the UFC eight-and-a-half years ago. I feel like I should have been brought back to the organization a long time ago.

“It’s been a long, frustrating journey, but things happen for a reason. I’m 15 minutes and one hand raised away from coming back.”

Gibson (19-8) lost three of his four bouts in the UFC, including his 2014 debut against Aljamain Sterling. Just a few weeks shy of turning 36, he is seeking to celebrate this year’s birthday in style with a UFC contract.

“This opportunity presented itself at the right time,” says Gibson. “I was at a crossroads. I was trying to fight the best guys I could find outside the promotion. I joked that I was on a UFC veteran tour. Things just lined up with The Ultimate Fighter.

“I’m in a good space. I know who I am and what I’m about and what I bring to the table. I’m going to ride this wave as long as I can.”

Gibson entered his TUF semifinal against DiSciullo in a compromised state. He defeated Mando Gutierrez in the bantamweight TUF quarterfinals with an impressive flying knee, winning by TKO, but at a steep cost, tearing his MCL.

“I wasn’t able to do a lot of traditional training leading up to the semi-finals,” says Bader. “I was really fortunate to have Ryan Bader there as one of my coaches because he had a bunch of great Airdyne workouts for me that he’d done before. I was pretty much stuck on that bike every day twice a day. I’d do a long hour in the morning, and then I’d do a hard cardio push in the afternoon.”

It isn’t easy to conceal an injury, but that was a necessity for Gibson. A complicating factor is that Gibson shared a house with the opposing team, forcing him to hide the injured knee as best as he could.

“I was pretty strategic,” says Gibson. “I had physical therapy every day, but I got it scheduled early in the morning so I was out of the house before anyone else was up. I would ice when the other team was away at practice. I advocated to get the fight with Rico in the semifinals specifically because he didn’t know about the injury. [Teammates] Brad and Timur [Valiev] knew I was compromised. I was in a knee brace every day in practice. So that’s why I wanted the Rico fight, and I think I did a good job of concealing it.”

Courtesy Zuffa

Another issue appeared when Katona switched from Team Chandler to Team McGregor. Gibson and Katona were constantly at odds throughout the season, and Gibson dreaded the idea of Katona exposing his injury to DiSciullo.

“Brad was the one guy in the house I didn’t see eye to eye with,” says Gibson. “I wasn’t sure if he’d said anything. I don’t think he did, luckily for me. But that was definitely a worry of mine.”

There was also a significant possibility that Gibson would not be cleared to fight. Unfortunately for Gibson, he needed clearance to fight.

“The UFC doctors were reluctant to allow me to fight,” says Gibson. “They were meeting with me and we were having these consultations, and they were making it seem like it wasn’t up to me. That whole two weeks leading into the fight, they put me on a protocol of physical therapy and stem cell injection. At the end of those two weeks, they re-evaluated me to see if I would be allowed to fight. That was a mind trip.

“I didn’t have control of the situation, but I was always advocating to fight. I realized the gravity of the opportunity and I didn’t want to waste it. Even if my ACL was torn, I would have still wanted to fight.”

When the fight started, DiSciullo took the early advantage with two leg kicks. While he may not have known the extent of the injury, it was clear from Gibson’s stance that he was not at full strength.

The MCL injury forced Gibson to change to a boxer’s stance. His lead foot was turned in so DiSciullo could not kick him on the inside of his leg, which was where his injury was. With that type of a stance, Gibson was leaving himself susceptible to outside leg kicks.

“Anybody who’s been in the game long enough knows that if a guy is standing with that left leg toe pointed in, you can’t check a kick from the outside,” says Gibson. “I wore two knee pads in the fight hoping he wouldn’t know which knee was hurt. The Apex is very silent, and right before we were about to fight, one of his coaches yelled, ‘Attack the knee!’

“So I ate a couple leg kicks on the outside right away, which I anticipated I was going to, but I felt I’d have a significant advantage if I got the fight to the mat. But my concern was I didn’t feel comfortable on my legs the first minute or two of the fight.”

Fortunately for Gibson, he got the fight to the ground when DiSciullo lost his balance and slipped when throwing a left jab.

“I capitalized on a mistake he made, got a takedown, and I was able to get on top,” says Gibson. “Then I was able to dominate the fight from then on out. I got his back, then I beat him up for three minutes.”

The finish was courtesy of a head and arm triangle, a submission Gibson had anticipated he would use.

“During Rico’s quarterfinal fight, I’d told Michael Chandler and the other coaches that I could catch an arm triangle on him,” says Gibson. “Sure enough, he did what I thought he would do from a half guard position, reached across to frame, I got his arm and I was able to put him away with the submission.”

It wasn’t covered in depth on last night’s TUF finale, but Gibson risked further tearing of his knee when he fought on with the MCL injury.

“There was a risk of tearing the ACL because the MCL was torn,” says Gibson. “Given the circumstances of having to fight with my injury, I was grateful that I didn’t further injure my knee. I stayed calm and composed in the fire.”

Katona is now Gibson’s sole focus. Gibson is ready to win however necessary at UFC 291, whether that is through his wrestling or striking.

“I definitely won’t have a problem hitting him in the face,” says Gibson. “We’ve studied the body and how he moves, and we’re looking for areas to exploit. I think he’s going to try to take me down and ride out a decision. That’s a typical Brad Katona fight.

“I’m the better striker. I’m long and lanky. I definitely have power in my hands. My job is to make sure I defend his takedowns and keep him standing and force him to exchange with me. I think my chances in that kind of a fight.”

For Gibson, if he is taken down, it is imperative he get back to his feet as quickly as possible. Katona is especially dangerous near the cage, which is why Gibson will attempt to keep the fight in the center of the Octagon.

“I want to beat Brad and earn a new UFC contract, and make a statement to the whole division,” says Gibson. “Aljamain Sterling is the main event, and we fought each other in our UFC debuts, so it’s a crazy full circle. I also had two first-round finishes on The Ultimate Fighter, so I want that trifecta. I’m prepared for a 15-minute war, but if I can land something clean, it could be an early night.”

More than eight years have passed since Gibson last fought in the Octagon. His last UFC pay-per-view bout took place even longer ago in 2014. After nearly losing hope that he would ever again compete for the organization, Gibson is entering UFC 292 full of optimism that his time has finally arrived.

“I’ve never had this much notice for a training camp, and I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be,” says Gibson, who confirmed he is 100 percent healthy. “I want everyone in the division to realize that after eight-and-a-half years, I’m back.”

Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.