*By Conor White*
Cody Garbrandt won the biggest fight of his life in December 2016 when he became the UFC Bantamweight champion.
He was motivated, in part, by the fight his young friend Maddux Maple showed against leukemia.
"He's had such an impact on me," Maple, 11, said of Garbrandt. "He helped me go through cancer, the rough time I was going through, and I don't know what I would do without him."
Garbrandt and Maple met in 2011, when Maple was just five years old and ravaged by the effects of chemotherapy. Garbrandt, who hadn't been signed by the UFC yet, promised Maple he would win a UFC championship belt if Maple beat cancer.
In 2015, Maple's leukemia went into remission.
"I was battling my own demons, and he helped me with a lot of those," Garbrandt said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar. "Early on, with the decision to chase history, he helped me chase this goal and stay motivated and stay focused on the task at hand and with his battle and what he was able to do, he had a big impact on my life and a was a huge motivating factor in making it to the top."
Garbrandt is telling his and Maple's story in the new book, "The Pact".
With the pact completed and his cancer in remission, is Maddux Maple planning to follow his friend into the octagon?
"No, I actually want to be a childhood cancer doctor," Maple said. "That's what I went through, so I went to help people who go through what I went through."
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-fight-of-their-lives).
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Nov. 28. 2018.
Fortnite's Winter Royale is an Epic failure, Astralis secures yet another CS:GO championship, and the best Cyber Monday deals around. Featuring esports journalist Rod 'Slasher' Breslau and Team Liquid and HTC Esports designer Jason Pun.
Since a Supreme Court ruling in May, seven states have legalized sports betting ー and Adam Small, the CEO of gambling magazine USBets thinks Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana may be next.
George Steinbrenner IV, the son of the New York Yankees co-chairman and grandson of the famous Yankee owner, told Cheddar how he wants to take the family business of winning to the race track.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018.
MLG co-founder Mike Sepso takes a seat at the podcast table for a discussion on the lazy summer that inspired MLG.
On today's show: the collapse of the H1Z1 Pro League, the announcement of the "League of Legends" European Championship, and "Fortnite"'s first open cash-prize tournament in the Winter Royale ー plus, PlayVS announces $30 million in funding. Featuring CEO of PlayVS Delane Parnell and DreamHack Global FGC Director Alex Jebailey.
Discussion of Smash Summit 7, Dreamhack Atlanta 2018, Red Bull Conquest, and Chris Pratt's Fortnite ads in Korea.
Featuring former NFL running back Ahman Green, Kelsey Moser, Amanda Stevens, and NYXL Product Dev Manager Samira Behrouzan
PUBG announces their global league for 2019, Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, and Riot faces down a lawsuit for workplace discrimination. Featuring Guy Blaze, ESL brand partnerships SVP Paul Brewer, and CEO of Electronic Gaming Federation Tyler Schrodt.
Alex Garfield re-enters esports, Cloud9 pulls off a miracle, Rocket League executes a win, and Z-Event raises 1 million euros. Featuring ESL SVP Brand Partnerships Paul Brewer, VP Pro Gaming Michal "Carmac" Blicharz, and Former MLB Professional Pitcher Jim Hoey V of Logitech G
