What Do Cody Garbrandt’s Tattoos Mean? Face, Back, Chest & Other Inks

Tattoos don’t just cover Cody Garbrandt’s body; they tell his story. Each piece of ink represents a chapter, a fight, or a reminder of who he is and where he came from. From faith to family, triumph to tragedy, the former UFC bantamweight champion has used his skin like a canvas, expressing everything he believes in with permanent strokes of ink.

With over 35 tattoos and counting, fans often wonder what they all mean. So, let’s take a look at the symbolism behind “No Love’s” most striking body art, from his face to his feet!

Cody Garbrandt’s face tattoo

One of Garbrandt’s most recent and boldest tattoos is a sword running down his right eye. It wasn’t planned. He was getting his armpit tattooed when the pain got intense. That’s when the idea struck. “Let’s put one on the face,” he told his tattoo artist, as he recalled in an interview. “So went to the face and did it just to give me some time to not act like a s—- on the armpit. So we’ll put the face tattoo on and just went with it. Full send. F—  it.”

So, what started his fascination with body art? “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,” he explained previously when asked about his love for tattoos.

‘No Love’ has a diamond tattooed on his throat. Also, there are ribbons tied at the sides of it. This piece contains the words ‘Self Made’. Garbrandt thinks this shows that he himself is responsible for the position that he is in today.

The ribbons on the sides of his neck tattoo are to signify that there is no limit to prosperity in life. Only the sky is the limit, according to ‘No Love’. However, he acknowledged that his mother was not happy about him getting a tattoo on his neck.

In 2022, the UFC star revealed the latest tattoo on his neck. It featured one half of a tiger’s head near his ear. He got it done by a Brazil-born tattoo artist, Sarah Lo. Usually, a tiger tattoo signifies ferocity, courage, and strength.

What does Cody Garbrandt’s chest and neck tattoo mean?

Cody Garbrandt’s chest is a tribute to the people who matter most, his family. However, according to the former champion himself, he regrets the decision of having that piece inked over his body.

 “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,” he has said previously.

He has ‘Family Over Everything‘ written over his chest. This signifies his devotion to his family. Also, ‘No Love’ happens to be a very spiritual man. The ‘Lord Have Mercy‘ writing on his chest points to that fact.

 There’s also a sparrow tattoo on the right pec of Garbrandt. “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 it’s there and I can’t do anything about it,” ‘No Love’ once explained.

 Also, there’s a ‘Twin City’ writing on Garbrandt’s traps. He was born in Uhrichsville and lives in Dennison. The writing is symbolic of the little distance between the two places. But those aren’t all as we shift our focus to other parts of the UFC star’s canvas!

Meaning behind other tattoos on Garbrandt’s body

‘No Love’ is inked all over both of his arms. He has a Japanese Koi Fish inked on his right arm, symbolizing focus and courage. Koi Fish fight till their death. Garbrandt likes to carry that power along with him. On his upper right arm, ‘No Love’ has Garbrandt tattooed in the upper case. Garbrandt also has a bunch of pink flowers along with pink leaves drawn on the inside of his right forearm.

He has a huge cross on his deltoids and triceps. This is for his strong faith in Christianity and reflects his religious views. ‘No Love’ has ‘Live to Fight’ and ‘Fight to Live’ written on his right and left forearms, respectively. This is symbolic of his fighter spirit. He also has the word ‘Family’ inked on his right bicep. This is once again a sign of his love for family.

‘No Love’ has a ‘Saint Michael Stomping the Devil’ tattoo on his left hand. This tattoo is on the inner side of his left forearm. Saint Michael acted as the opponent of Satan in the old Catholic writings. He used to help people in the hour of death. This is actually to signify dominance, strength, and courage.

There is also a tattoo of Jesus Christ on Cody’s left deltoids. This is to show his religious character and his immense love and faith in Jesus as an individual. ‘No Love’ also has a rose tattooed on his left elbow.

Garbrandt has ‘RELENTLESS’ tatted boldly on his left bicep. There is also a 922 tattoo on his left forearm as a sign of gratitude to his roots. There is also a huge sign of an angel with wings on the inner side of his left arm. This tattoo is a symbol of good luck and fortune.

His knuckles read “True Love,” and his palm is inked with “Only God Can Judge Me.” There’s even a green grenade on his outer right palm, all parts of the same fighting narrative.

On his abdomen, “Blessed” sits above his navel, a reminder of his gratitude. Just below it is “Dreamsville,” a nod to his hometown of Uhrichsville. On his legs, tribal tiger tattoos symbolize courage and power, while “No Love” and “A Promise Kept” (alongside a UFC belt) celebrate his rise to champion status.

The back is perhaps Cody’s most decorated body part in terms of tattoos. On the back of his neck, Garbrandt has a heart tattooed along with the words VICTORY written inside it. He has revealed that when he was 14, he made an agreement with his mother to get this done, given that he wins a title or championship. And after winning a national title, he got it done.

Garbrandt also has a 9mm gun drawn on his lower back with the words ‘No Love’ written in bold across it. “I got a 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 and I was like whoos!” he explained about it.

His whole back is covered with a gladiator-esque tattoo, giving him the lethal and dangerous look of a cage fighter. No doubt that perfectly suits a former UFC champion like him.

This piece took 25 hours to complete. However, the best part about the art is that the artist did it free of cost, as this is an advertisement for his work whenever the Team Alpha Male member fights inside the Octagon.

So, what do Cody Garbrandt’s tattoos mean? They’re not just ink, they’re identity. Every symbol, every line, every shade is a mark of his struggles, his beliefs, and the legacy he continues to build.