The long-running Ultimate Fighter reality show on ESPN features fighters from around the globe competing for a contract with the UFC.
In the latest season, a local fighter, Cody Gibson, had the opportunity to train in Las Vegas and compete under UFC star and coach Michael Chandler
Fighting alongside seven other veteran fighters, Gibson returned to the big stage after over a year from his last professional fight, facing off against Conor McGregor’s team of prospects competing for themselves and for the chance to fight in the UFC.
“Getting to train alongside other UFC vets, you're competitive every day," Gibson recalls. "Every day in the room, you're competing.”
Even with 15 years in professional mixed martial arts, Gibson is always still looking to improve whether it be with coach Chandler or when he’s training on the Central Coast at the famed mixed MMA training gym, The Pit.
“I think for me, at 35 years old, I've been fighting for 15 years and I keep into that mentality of I'm always a student," he said. "I'm always learning."
Now on the final stretch of his career, Gibson sees fighting a little differently than he did in his early 20s. Even though he gained a lot from his training camp on The Ultimate Fighter.
“People always ask me like, 'Would you do it again?' You know, and I always say, 'I don't know if I would do it again, but I'm glad I did it' kind of thing. I'm glad I did it," Gibson said. "It was a great experience, but I don't know if I would do it again. I just said, 'I'm a family man,' being away from my kids for that long was tough for me.”
When he’s not training three times a day, he’s with his family or he’s at day job, teaching middle school P.E. at Atascadero Middle School.
“To me, fighting it mirrors life so much," he said. "There's so many correlations with it. I always make fun of being a P.E. teacher because it's like being a guidance counselor because I'm just talking to kids all day and they tell you the struggles they go through.”
With a career 19-8 professional record for "The Renegade," the family man is content with whatever happens next in his career.
“I know this is my last run in the UFC or on a bigger stage or on any stage," he said. "I'm going to retire from fighting sooner than later. I have a life outside of this that I'm happy with.”
But after a quarterfinal first-round knockout in this season’s Ultimate Fighter against Mando Gutierrez, Gibson is taking advantage of center stage making one last push in the fight game using the knowledge he’s gained throughout his career to help him succeed.
“Over the course of 15 years of doing this, I've learned about building habits of discipline is way more important," Gibson said. "At 35, I've got it figured out, and we're going to ride this wave as long as we can. Then you'll see me in the classroom somewhere in the Central Coast after that.”
The final episodes of "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 31 take place Tuesdays on ESPN.
