Cody Garbrandt is no stranger to the needle. If you've watched a single UFC bantamweight scrap in the last decade, you've seen the "Self Made" diamond on his neck or the massive gladiator scene sprawling across his back. But lately, fans have been squinting at their screens for a different reason.
The former champ went and did it. He finally put ink on his face.
It’s a sword. Or a dagger. Or a "cocktail pick," depending on which corner of the internet you're browsing. It runs vertically through his left eye, or at least it appears to. In reality, the tattoo is split between his forehead and his cheekbone, creating the illusion of a blade piercing right through the socket.
Honestly, the reaction was exactly what you’d expect from the MMA community—total chaos. Some people love the "No Love" commitment to the aesthetic, while others are basically convinced he’s having a mid-life crisis in his early 30s. But there's a specific reason why it exists, and it’s way more impulsive than you might think.
The Story Behind the Blade
Most fighters spend months meditating on a face piece. It’s a career-altering move. For Cody, it was more of a "fuck it, let's go" moment during a session for a completely different body part.
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Garbrandt recently sat down for a media day ahead of a fight in Atlanta and laid it all out. He was actually in the middle of getting his armpit tattooed. If you’ve ever had ink done, you know the armpit is a special kind of hell. It’s sensitive, thin-skinned, and generally miserable. Cody admitted he was "trying to cop out" to his tattooer because the armpit was hurting so bad.
To give himself a break from the sissy feeling of the armpit pain—his words, not mine—he told the artist to just move to the face.
"We went to the face and did it," Cody explained. It was a "full send" move. He wanted to prove he wasn't folding under the pressure of the armpit needle, so he doubled down on the most visible spot possible. It’s a very Cody Garbrandt way to handle pain: if one thing hurts, just find something else that challenges you more.
Why Does it Look... Crooked?
If you spend five minutes on Reddit, you'll see a dozen threads arguing that the tattoo isn't lined up. People have posted screenshots from every angle trying to prove the blade doesn't match the handle.
There's actually a bit of science to why it looks "off" depending on how he moves. This is what's known as the parallax effect. Because the human face is curved and the skin around the eye moves constantly—especially when you’re talking or fighting—a straight vertical line will rarely look straight from every angle.
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When the stencil was applied, his eye was likely closed or his face was neutral. The moment he opens his eye or raises a brow, the skin shifts. It’s the same reason why a tattoo of a straight arrow on a forearm looks like a noodle when you twist your wrist.
A Long History of Painful Choices
To understand the face ink, you sort of have to look at the rest of the canvas. Cody has been getting tattooed by the same guy since he was a teenager back in Ohio. Loyalty is a massive thing for him. He’s often prioritized the relationship with his artist over "perfection," which is why some of his tattoos have that raw, street-shop look rather than a polished gallery feel.
The neck piece is still his most famous. That "Self Made" diamond was a statement of intent before he ever touched UFC gold. He’s got:
- The Grenade: On his hand, symbolizing the power he carries (which also became a bit of a "jinx" after he broke that hand multiple times).
- The Back Piece: A massive Roman gladiator scene that took over 25 hours to finish.
- The Wings: On his neck, meant to remind him that the sky is the limit.
The face tattoo is just the latest chapter in a body that's rapidly running out of empty space. He's even joked that his girlfriend and his mom have told him "no more" on the face, so the sword might be the final addition to the head region.
The Psychological Shift
There’s a deeper layer here, too. Around the time the face tattoo appeared, Cody was coming off a 14-month layoff. He’s been open about going to therapy and dealing with the mental toll of a sport that hasn't always been kind to him since he lost the belt.
He’s described his tattoos as "wind therapy," similar to how he feels when he’s out on his Harley. For Cody, getting inked isn't just about looking tough for the weigh-ins. It’s a way to mark time, to deal with adversity, and—in the case of the eye sword—to distract himself from the literal pain of an armpit session.
What This Means for the "No Love" Brand
In the UFC, image is everything. You have the clean-cut guys, and then you have the guys who look like they’ve seen some things. Cody has moved firmly into the latter category.
Some fans worry that the increasing amount of ink, specifically on the face, is a sign of a fighter losing focus. They point to his chin or his recent losses and claim he’s "morphing into a clown." But if you look at his recent performances, he's still showing flashes of that elite speed and boxing that made him a world champion.
The tattoo is just a shell. It’s an aesthetic choice by a guy who has been obsessed with ink since he was a kid in a small town.
Next Steps for Fans and Collectors
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If you're looking to track the evolution of Cody's ink or understand the artists he works with, you should follow his social media updates during fight camps. He often tags his long-time tattoo artist, giving a glimpse into the Ohio-based shop where most of his work originated. For those interested in the technical side of face tattoos, researching "midline alignment in facial tattooing" can provide clarity on why vertical pieces like Cody's sword are so difficult to execute perfectly.