Cody Ray Allen Garbrandt better known as Cody Garbrandt is an American professional mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has been the second fighter to defeat Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. His body is itself a complete artwork, full of inks all over. He is well known to get inked after each fight he competes in. Let us explore his throbbing tattoos and their meanings.
When asked about the reason of getting so many tattoos Cody said, “My uncle had these sketchbooks that he would constantly be drawing in, He tattooed my grandfather, my biological father, and my other uncle. They were all tattooed so I thought it was the norm.”
“At the age of 18, I had at least 15 tattoos. I started working on my sleeve when I was in senior year, but I was very proportionate. I will like to do on one side, then I will do the other, and if I do the inside, ill do this inside too.”
CHEST TATTOOS
“I am a huge family man, and I huge part of my success has come from my family supporting me and always being there for me.”
“There always a tattoo that a person regrets in life, and I think my chest did not turn well.”
Cody’s chest tattoos are dedicated to his love for family as he considers himself to be a well-devoted family man.
1. ‘LORD HAVE MERCY’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The words inked across the top portion of Cody’s chest say, ‘Lord Have Mercy‘.
Meaning: Cody has always claimed himself to be a spiritual man and thus this ink is the clear proof of his faith and relationship with God, and how for every little thing he longs for god’s blessings.
2. ‘Sparrow’ Tattoo
Tattoo: A large sparrow is inked on Cody’s right pec.
Meaning: As Cody has always said that his chest tattoos are the symbol of his love for his family and thus this sparrow tattoo is another proof of it as sparrows reflect the love for family and close ones.
”This is like four or five people together, that together on my chest piece. we plan on doing some laser sessions to get it off and re shoot on something. but, hey its there and i cant do anything about it.”
3. ‘FAMILY OVER EVERYTHING’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his left pec there is a baby angel inked and carrying a banner in her hand which says, ‘FAMILY OVER EVERYTHING‘.
Meaning: Angels are the symbol of good luck and this ink shows how Cody wishes for the good fortune and blessings for his family.
4. ‘Twin City’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There lies an ink consisting of two words Twin and City, inked near his right and left collar respectively.
Meaning: The Twin cities is a nickname used to describe Uhrichsville (birthplace of Cody) and Dennison as they are adjacent and quite similar.
5. Cloud Design Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody’s whole chest is covered with dark cloudy patterns just giving an impression of clouds and heaven to his sparrow and angel tattoos.
ABDOMEN TATTOOS
6. ‘BLESSED’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Right towards the center of his lower stomach there is a huge ink which shows two vulture heads holding a banner in their beaks which further contain the word BLESSED inked inside it.
Meaning: Cody Garbrandt repeatedly claims that he considers himself too blessed in life and this is his reason for getting this word inked.
7. ‘Dreamsville’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Right below his BLESSED tattoo he has got the word, Dreamsville inked.
Meaning: Dreamsville is the nickname for Uhrichsville, (in the United States) which is the birthplace of Cody Garbrandt.
ARM TATTOOS
“I am not religious, but I am spiritual, I feel like I have a growing relationship with Lord, I attend church just like to, learn more, I was never raised in a church, never was, you know, forced to go.”
“And I have a kind of theme, I have the color on this side, (right) and I have grey on the other. (left). I like to have a variety of artwork.”
8. ‘Traditional Japanese Sleeve’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody’s right arm is completely dedicated to the traditional Japanese concept. He has got intricated design which reflects some Japanese traditions followed by a huge Koi Fish on his right forearm of pink and green color.
Meaning: Koi Fish ink continuously helps Cody to remain focused and fight courageously because Koi fishes are known to fight until they die.
“Definitely more or so, I would say realism is where I m kinda more towards.”
Japanese Koi Fish because they fight until they die.
9. ‘GARBRANDT’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Followed by some cloudy dark designs on the top of Cody’s right upper arm, there exists his own surname inked which read as GARBRANDT in bold letters.
10. ‘Multiple Flowers’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On his inner right forearm Cody has got a bunch of pink flowers inked along with green leaves enhancing his Japanese artwork there.
11. ‘Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody’s right upper bicep is covered with a huge cross that reflects his religious views and strong faith in Christianity.
12. ‘Live to Fight Fight to Live’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody has got the quote inked on his wrist. His right and left wrists contain the words, ‘Live to Fight‘ and ‘Fight to Live‘, respectively.
Meaning: Cody Garbrandt has been known to be a fighter all his life and this ink is dedicated to his own idea of fighting with bravery all the time. It also shows his dedication to his career as a martial artist.
“He says, ‘I’m going to hit you and you’re going to hit me until one of us gives up’ sense.”
13. ‘Family’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Showing another dedication of his love for his family, Cody has got the word Family inked on the inner side of his right bicep. He got it tattoed at the age of 15 years.
LEFT ARM TATTOOS
14. ‘Saint Micheal stomping the Devil’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody’s left inner forearm is covered with the ink of Saint Micheal stomping the devil.
Meaning: Saint Michael the Archangel is known through the old historical and religious references in books who used to act as the guardian of the Bible and Church and was also the part of Christian teachings. In Catholic writings, he acted as the opponent of Satan and is known to help the people at the hour of their death. St Michael’s tattoo is the symbolism of Dominance, strength, and courage.
15. ‘Jesus Christ’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a huge portrait of Jesus Christ inked on Cody’s left bicep.
Meaning: The tattoo shows his close relationship, love, and faith in Jesus Christ.
16. ‘Flower’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cozy has a huge rose inked on his elbow of the left arm.
17. ‘RELENTLESS’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody’s inner left bicep contains the word ‘RELENTLESS‘ inked on it.
“I got that when i was sophomore in high scholl, my wrestling was relentless, the way i trained was relentless, that mindset of being relentless in training, and in everyday life, just being relentless in every pursuit, of what you wanna do.”
18. ‘922’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the left forearm, Cody has got the numeral 922 inked.
“I’ve got my area code tattooed on me because I’m very thankful for my roots.”
19. ‘Angel with wings’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a huge tattoo of an angel with wings inked on the left inner arm of Cody. It is seen wearing the blouse and cloak of light pink color.
Meaning: Angels bring good luck and fortune.
HAND TATTOOS
20. ‘TRUE LOVE’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Across his knuckles, Cody has got the word, ‘True Love‘ inked on the knuckles of his right and left arm, respectively.
Meaning: He got this ink to denote his true love for fighting.
“Fighting is my true love, and it’s my passion, it’s been something that I wanted to do since I was a kid.”
21. ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the outer side of his left hand, Cody has another ink which says, Only God Can Judge Me along with a baby angel which is also carrying a banner that says NO LOVE.
Meaning: This tattoo is another depiction of his love for God.
22. ‘Grenade’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There is a green color grenade inked on the outer side of Cody’s right hand.
“I got a grenade tattoo on my right hand and kinda there was an ongoing joke that I drop bombs. The moment I got this tattoo, the next three fights, I broke my hand. It was like a jinx or something.”
NECK TATTOO
23. ‘SELF MADE’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody Garbrandt has got a very beautiful tattoo inked which shows the diamond in the blue shade in the center with the wings tattooed on both of its sides. And just the diamond there is a banner cum ribbon of red and yellow color which contains the words, ‘SELF MADE.
Meaning: Cody says,
“It has a couple different meanings. The “Self Made” logo reminds me that I’m responsible for what I am today. The diamond, well, diamonds are made under pressure, and I’ve conquered adversity. The wings, those were put on because the sky’s the limit. I like all of that, and I’ve always wanted a neckpiece. Most people just see it as a neck tattoo, but it has meaning to it.”
“self-made, that was for made self, but you know, I am stitched with good intentions. the wings are showing that there are no labels, the sky is the limit, don’t set your standards low, rise above that, so I got it tattooed on my neck, so i thought it was a great idea. My mom was about to kill me for my neck tat.”
LEG TATTOOS
“I think it’s just amazing that artists can bring really bring something to life that you see.”
Right Leg Tattoos
24. ‘Multicolored Tribal Tiger’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cody has got the multicolored tribal tiger inked on the inner side of his right leg. Tribal Tiger tattoo is the symbol of dominance, strength and power and also the means of attracting good energy.
25. ‘NO LOVE’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Right in the front of his right leg there lies an ink which shows the asymmetrical colored letters inked and can be read as ‘NO LOVE’.
“The nickname no love was given to me by my uncle, he was my boxing trainer he was just taking me off to the gym, had my first fight at 14 so I was in there sparring some of the pro fighters he had and I was knocking them down and hassling them, this kid is a teenager he isn’t showing you guys no love, so no love and that was my monitor and it has been my moniter ever since.”
26. ‘Cartoon Macho Man’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There exists another ink on the extreme right of his right leg which shows the cartoonist figure of Cody Garbrandt himself. The body is surrounded by yellow tiny flowers and has got the number 922 inked on his abdomen.
LEFT LEG TATTOOS
27. ‘Roaring Lion’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the front of Cody’s left leg there is another animal ink which shows the face of a roaring lion.
28. ‘A PROMISE KEPT’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the backside of Cody’s left leg lies a beautiful ink which shows the UFC belt wrapped around a grenade followed by the words over the ink which can be read as A PROMISE KEPT.
Meaning: This ink is the tribute to Cody’s achievement in being able to become a top fighter in the list of Mixed Martial Artists.
29. ‘922’ Tattoo
Tattoo: There lies another 922 ink right below Cody’s left knee.
“Growing up in Uhrichsville, we used to have a saying,” Garbrandt says. “If you’re looking for help, call 911. If you’re looking for trouble, call 922.” 922 is the telephone exchange of Uhrichsville.
30. ‘Pirate Head’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the inner side of his left leg, Cody has got the pirate head inked. There exists the numeral 922 inked below it and the words NO LOVE inked above the pirate tattoo.
Meaning: Pirate ink represents Cody Garbrandt’s courageous and unshakable attitude.
FOOT TATTOOS
31. ‘A’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The letter A is inked in bold red and black outline on Cody’s right foot.
32. ‘OHIO FINEST’ Tattoo
Tattoo: On the top of his left foot, Cody has got the state of Ohio’s outline inked.
“There was this party, where there was a tattoo artist and we were all drinikng and dancing, I said I wanted a tattoo too, so I ended up getting the state of ohio on my foot, and it says OHIO FINEST on the top of my foot.”
BACK TATTOOS
33. ‘Cross and Anatomical Heart’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Right at the backside of his neck, Cody has got an anatomical heart inked with the word VICTORY inked insides it. Just below it lies a cross surrounded by the ribbon. It was Cody’s first tattoo which he got at the mere age of 14 years. He got it after winning the National Title.
“I got my first tattoo when I was 14, me and brother made an agreement with our mother that if we won a state title or National Title that year we would get a tattoo., an d when we won the national title, we are like mom, you gotta keep your end of the deal. I got a Cross with a ribbon tied around it on my back.”
34. ‘9mm Gun’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Right at the center of his lower back there is a 9 mm gun inked that reads NO LOVE.
‘I got 9 mm tattoo on my back, My Buddy Nick Duell, he was a pro fighter growing up, he was knocking everybody out like he was nick the savage duel, he’s the guy I looked up to, he was on the same team, he had the same tattoo. the first time I actually pulled it out in a fight, it was Dom Cruz, I was walking back to the cage n I was like whoos.
35. ‘Gladiator-esque’ Tattoo
Tattoo: The complete back of Cody Garbrandt is covered with Gladiator’s sort of imagery. He had to undergo extreme pain when the lower back was being done because of his cell surgery. The whole tattoo took 25 hours to be completed and was done by tattoo artist Nic Westfall.
“The craziest thing about this — Cody says it didn’t cost him a PENNY to get done … the dude got the hookup because it’s basically an ad for the artist whenever he fights in the Octagon!”
