The Pact, Cody Garbrandt
The Pact, Cody Garbrandt
6 Rating(s)
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
Club: $10.99

The Pact
A UFC Champion, a Boy with Cancer, and their Promise to Win the Ultimate Battle

Author: Cody Garbrandt, Mark Dagostino

Narrator: Dave Hoffman

Unabridged: 7 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 05/08/2018


Synopsis

A UFC champion and a boy with leukemia, in the fight of their lives. Cody Garbrandt dreamed of being a UFC champion. In his darkest moments, when those dreams were dashed, he dug deep with the help of an unlikely friend—five-year-old Maddux Maple, a local hometown fan with leukemia. They made a pact: Cody would be in the UFC and win the championship, and Maddux would beat cancer. Read their moving story in Cody’s new book, The Pact, and go behind the scenes into Cody’s training and how he made his dreams come true. Cody Garbrandt grew up in a rough town in the Central Appalachian region of Ohio, surrounded by a longstanding culture of fighting—and drugs. Raised in this environment by a single mom (his dad left him at the young age of three to reside in the Ohio State Penitentiary), Cody grew up fighting, and he grew up wild. His future seemed predestined to end in the coal mines, or in prison.Thankfully, Cody had visions of something more. His American Dream? Mixed Martial Arts. But a path to success wasn’t clear. He spent as much time fighting in the streets as he did in the gym—one bad decision away from losing everything. Then, at age 20, Cody’s brother introduced him to five-year old Maddux Maple. Maddux was deathly ill with leukemia, his survival by no means assured. A unique friendship developed as they made a promise to each other: Maddux would beat cancer, and Cody would make it to the UFC and become world champion.Through five long years of pain and hardship, they both persevered; Cody, through the agony and sacrifices of fighting his way to the top, and Maddux through the horrors of chemotherapy. They loved and supported each other. They served as each other’s inspiration. And in December 2016, they made good on their pact: Cody won his UFC Championship belt, which he promptly presented to Maddux—the boy who had beaten cancer into remission.

About Cody Garbrandt

Cody Garbrandt is a professional mixed martial artist signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has a record of 11-1 as a professional fighter and is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. Born and raised in Uhrichsville, Ohio, Garbrandt currently lives and trains in Sacramento, California, as a member of Team Alpha Male. He and his wife, Danny, are expecting their first child.

About Mark Dagostino

Mark Dagostino is a multiple New York Times bestselling coauthor who is dedicated to writing books that uplift and inspire. Prior to writing books, he spent ten years on staff in New York and Los Angeles as a correspondent, columnist, and senior writer for People magazine. He now lives a somewhat quieter life in New Hampshire.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul on April 05, 2018

In his memoir, Cody Garbrandt served as personal guide and took me back to his hometown that thrived on fists and fury, at least he did. His character came well-drawn beginning from when he was just a little boy right up to when he first entered the UFC. His inspiration to achieve world champion sta......more

Goodreads review by Jackie on June 22, 2018

This was an easy read. I’m from the area Cody grew up in, so the people, places and culture are all familiar to me. The fight culture in 922 is real. I remember Bobby telling me a long time ago to “look out for his nephew, he’s a beast.” That was the same year Cody won the state wrestling championsh......more

Goodreads review by Jason on May 17, 2018

Loved this book! Cody’s incredible journey to the UFC along with his relationship with a young kid who had cancer. This book was emotional as hell and I could not put it down. The Pact that Cody and Maddux made is an amazing Never Give Up story. This book is a MUST read! Highly recommend.......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on July 22, 2018

In The Pact, Cody Garbrandt opened up about his journey to join Team Alpha Male and to become a fighter in the UFC. Cody grew up in Uhrichsville, Ohio in an area nicknamed “922”. This area was known for trouble. He learned to fight with his big brother, Zach and they would always be wrestling and fi......more

Goodreads review by Lindsey on May 24, 2018

I grew up in martial arts and as an adult came to enjoy watching UFC. Those were the days of Joyce Gracie (I know I'm dating myself). I heard of Cody Garbrandt and knew of his friendship with the kid who had cancer, watched him win the championship belt. I was over the moon excited when I heard he w......more


Quotes

Publishers Weekly Review: The Pact - Cody Garbrandt In this magnetic memoir, Garbrandt, former UFC bantamweight champion, chronicles how Maddux Maple, a five-year-old boy diagnosed with cancer, inspired him to dedicate himself to his fighting career and God. Garbrandt grew up in the working-class town of Uhrichsville, Ohio, and his childhood was dominated by conflict and violence. In grade school, he remembers, he was in a fight when the other boy's parole officer suddenly showed up, but instead of intervening, the officer watched. After Garbrandt's born-again uncle was released from prison and took Garbrandt under his wing, Garbrandt became serious about wrestling. By his early 20s, he was a talented wrestler and occasionally took on a mixed martial arts fight but kept and getting in trouble. Then, Garbrandt's brother learned of Maple's remarkable story on Facebook; Garbrandt met the boy and had an epiphany about how the influential people in his life had been leading him to God. In unadorned prose, Garbrandt candidly explains how this revelation allowed him to let go of past anger and provided the focus necessary for finally accomplishing his goal of becoming UFC champion. With brutal scenes of violence studded with moments of grace and revelation, Garbrandt's passionate story will appeal mainly to fans of mixed martial arts. (May) Reviewed on 03/23/2018 | Release date: 05/01/2018 | Details and amp; Permalink