Cody Garbrandt is one of the UFC's most explosive former bantamweight champions, and Urijah Faber's wrestling sessions helped shape his rise. Nicknamed No Love, Garbrandt built his mixed martial arts career at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, where Faber personally recruited him after the then-18-year-old messaged him on Twitter promising to train there one day. Garbrandt regularly rolled wrestling with Faber himself alongside teammates like Chad Mendes and Lance Palmer, crediting the daily grind of going on the ground with the UFC hall of famer for pushing him to the limit. That foundation carried him to a shocking 2016 knockout of Dominick Cruz for the bantamweight title. Known for relentless power and ferocious hand speed, Garbrandt's Team Alpha Male roots remain a key part of his combat sports story.
Long before Cody Garbrandt held UFC gold, his path to the bantamweight title was being forged on the wrestling mats of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento — shaped in large part by daily rounds with Urijah Faber himself.
Garbrandt, now 35 and carrying a professional record of 15-8, earned the nickname No Love for his ferocious approach inside the cage. His journey to Team Alpha Male began when he was just 18 years old, reaching out to Faber on Twitter and promising he would train there someday. Faber took notice, personally recruited him, and the rest became one of the more compelling stories in bantamweight history. Garbrandt's striking remains a centerpiece of his game — he lands 2.82 significant strikes per minute at 40 percent accuracy — but it was the wrestling foundation built alongside teammates like Chad Mendes and Lance Palmer that rounded out his skill set.
Faber, who retired with a 35-11 record and earned his place in the UFC Hall of Fame, was a central figure in that development. The California Kid stood five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach and brought a wrestling-heavy, submission-active style to his own career, averaging 1.54 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.8 submission attempts over the same span. Garbrandt credits those grinding mat sessions with Faber as a driving force in pushing him to his limits.
That foundation paid off in December 2016, when Garbrandt produced one of the division's most stunning upsets — a knockout of Dominick Cruz to claim the UFC bantamweight title. Cruz, now 41, owns a 24-4 record and was considered among the most technically refined fighters in the sport's history, averaging 3.91 significant strikes per minute and 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Garbrandt's rise illustrates how elite training environments can accelerate a fighter's development at a formative age
- Faber's direct mentorship connected Hall of Fame-level experience to one of bantamweight's most explosive champions
- Team Alpha Male's wrestling culture proved a decisive factor in producing a title-winning all-around game
