When Cody Gibson says ‘Google me, bitch,’ people listen

Talk about your forgettable trips to Vegas.

Cody Gibson went out there to fight Manny Gamburyan at UFC 178, and for about nine-and-a-half minutes of that encounter had things going his way. He was thoroughly outclassing Gamburyan, and raising some eyebrows in the process. Then towards the end of the second round he got caught in a guillotine choke, and with just four seconds left in the round was forced to tap.

Next thing he knew Gamburyan was popping bottles with Ronda Rousey and calling out Bryan Caraway and the whole night went topsy-turvy. It was one of the most one-sided fights on record in which the tables turned so abruptly, right up there with Mike Russow’s Hail Mary knockout of Todd Duffee at UFC 114 after being mauled for over 12 minutes. 

Then, if that weren’t enough, three days later he told some dude to “Google me, bitch!” and the roof came flying off the hoosegow.

Here’s what happened: The California-based Gibson remained in Vegas for a few extra days after UFC 178 to “decompress” and hang out with his best friend, and on his last night there, while at the Gold Spike downtown, somebody video’d an encounter he had with an unlucky patron who got up in his face.

You can watch the video yourself. When the man shoves him, Gibson — now with the spirit in him and his dukes up high — tries to provide a little more information about his background to see if that might trigger some second thoughts. Gibson confesses up front that he’s a UFC fighter. In fact, he tells the man that if he were to type his name into a standard search engine, there would be ample proof of his claim.

“Google me, Bitch!”

Ignoring this caution, the man cold-cocks Gibson a few seconds later, prompting Gibson to shoot in and take him down a couple of times, before the whole thing fizzles out. In a ultra-meta turn of events, the person who taped the altercation took Gibson’s advice — he apparently went home and Googled him, and not long after the little dust-up was all over TMZ.

Gibson said he was shocked to discover there was footage of the whole thing.

“It was not a good wake-up to my Monday morning,” he told MMA Fighting. “As I woke up and found out the video existed it’s like that feeling in your stomach, a drop to your heart or something. You work so hard to get to where you’re getting, and everything’s going great, then that.”

So what happened?

“It was a drunk guy just sort of egging me on,” Gibson says. “At first I told him two times, I don’t want to fight, dude. But he kept on, and kept on. And I told him who I was. I told him at least that I’m a UFC fighter, and you don’t want to do this.”

(The perp had a significant size advantage; Gibson is but a bantamweight).

“And then after he pushed me that’s when I kind of snapped and that’s when I put my hands up like, dude, I’m going to hurt you,” Gibson says. “Then he sucker-punched me, and that’s when I said the whole ‘Google me’ or whatever, because he said I don’t believe you’re in the UFC. That’s when I embarrassingly said that. Then after he sucker-punched me I thought I would take him down, and defend myself. I’m glad I didn’t throw any punches. Hopefully that helps my case.”

Chuck Liddell has stories about area toughs who would drink up the courage to challenge him in bar scenes. Liddell was always more than accommodating to these types, but Gibson says he was merely trying to dissuade the man from committing a folly.

“When he punched me I was over-trying to diffuse the situation,” he says. “Obviously in retrospect I regret it, and I’m embarrassed by it, but it is what it is.”

Gibson isn’t sure if there will be any repercussions with the UFC. He doesn’t think so. He says he hopes not.

But the irony is that in the aftermath, if you Google Gibson’s name, the bar fight is the first thing that pops up. He’s more Googleable now than he was at the time of his suggestion at the Gold Spike, so that if he told somebody “Google me bitch” today they would see the “Google me bitch” video, and the sense of vertigo would begin to seep in.

Not that Gibson was trying for a brilliant piece of viral self-promotion. He was just caught in a strange situation.

“He didn’t knock me out or rock me,” he says. “I was looking off to the side at someone else talking and I just get clobbered and I kind of stumbled. I was rocked, but it hurt, yeah, he gave me a bloody lip and stuff.”

Talk about your forgettable trips to Vegas.

Cody Gibson went out there to fight Manny Gamburyan at UFC 178, and for about nine-and-a-half minutes of that encounter had things going his way. He was thoroughly outclassing Gamburyan, and raising some eyebrows in the process. Then towards the end of the second round he got caught in a guillotine choke, and with just four seconds left in the round was forced to tap.

Next thing he knew Gamburyan was popping bottles with Ronda Rousey and calling out Bryan Caraway and the whole night went topsy-turvy. It was one of the most one-sided fights on record in which the tables turned so abruptly, right up there with Mike Russow’s Hail Mary knockout of Todd Duffee at UFC 114 after being mauled for over 12 minutes. 

Then, if that weren’t enough, three days later he told some dude to “Google me, bitch!” and the roof came flying off the hoosegow.

Here’s what happened: The California-based Gibson remained in Vegas for a few extra days after UFC 178 to “decompress” and hang out with his best friend, and on his last night there, while at the Gold Spike downtown, somebody video’d an encounter he had with an unlucky patron who got up in his face.

You can watch the video yourself. When the man shoves him, Gibson — now with the spirit in him and his dukes up high — tries to provide a little more information about his background to see if that might trigger some second thoughts. Gibson confesses up front that he’s a UFC fighter. In fact, he tells the man that if he were to type his name into a standard search engine, there would be ample proof of his claim.

“Google me, Bitch!”

Ignoring this caution, the man cold-cocks Gibson a few seconds later, prompting Gibson to shoot in and take him down a couple of times, before the whole thing fizzles out. In a ultra-meta turn of events, the person who taped the altercation took Gibson’s advice — he apparently went home and Googled him, and not long after the little dust-up was all over TMZ.

Gibson said he was shocked to discover there was footage of the whole thing.

“It was not a good wake-up to my Monday morning,” he told MMA Fighting. “As I woke up and found out the video existed it’s like that feeling in your stomach, a drop to your heart or something. You work so hard to get to where you’re getting, and everything’s going great, then that.”

So what happened?

“It was a drunk guy just sort of egging me on,” Gibson says. “At first I told him two times, I don’t want to fight, dude. But he kept on, and kept on. And I told him who I was. I told him at least that I’m a UFC fighter, and you don’t want to do this.”

(The perp had a significant size advantage; Gibson is but a bantamweight).

“And then after he pushed me that’s when I kind of snapped and that’s when I put my hands up like, dude, I’m going to hurt you,” Gibson says. “Then he sucker-punched me, and that’s when I said the whole ‘Google me’ or whatever, because he said I don’t believe you’re in the UFC. That’s when I embarrassingly said that. Then after he sucker-punched me I thought I would take him down, and defend myself. I’m glad I didn’t throw any punches. Hopefully that helps my case.”

Chuck Liddell has stories about area toughs who would drink up the courage to challenge him in bar scenes. Liddell was always more than accommodating to these types, but Gibson says he was merely trying to dissuade the man from committing a folly.

“When he punched me I was over-trying to diffuse the situation,” he says. “Obviously in retrospect I regret it, and I’m embarrassed by it, but it is what it is.”

Gibson isn’t sure if there will be any repercussions with the UFC. He doesn’t think so. He says he hopes not.

But the irony is that in the aftermath, if you Google Gibson’s name, the bar fight is the first thing that pops up. He’s more Googleable now than he was at the time of his suggestion at the Gold Spike, so that if he told somebody “Google me bitch” today they would see the “Google me bitch” video, and the sense of vertigo would begin to seep in.

Not that Gibson was trying for a brilliant piece of viral self-promotion. He was just caught in a strange situation.

“He didn’t knock me out or rock me,” he says. “I was looking off to the side at someone else talking and I just get clobbered and I kind of stumbled. I was rocked, but it hurt, yeah, he gave me a bloody lip and stuff.”