*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).
Bitcoin futures start trading on the CME, and Congressional Democrats call for a hearing on the Disney/Fox deal. Plus tax reform gets closer, weather could have an impact on holiday shopping, and the rise of ICOs.
Football fans will now be able to stream their favorite games on their phones, after Verizon signed a multi-year deal with the NFL. Paul Kelly, Chief Revenue Officer of Whistle Sports joins Cheddar to discuss the ever-changing landscape for sports media.
Paul Kelly, chief revenue officer at Whistle Sports, says that this deal will allow Verizon to tap the millennial market with more than just live sports.
Season 3 of Nickelodeon's competition series "Paradise Run" kicks off in 2018. Host of the show, Daniella Monet, shares what to expect in the new season of this series.
The first box office forecasts for "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" are in and it's looking like the sequel is the hit Hollywood has been waiting for this year. Bauer Xcel Media's Kate Spies and FHM's Nick Dimengo join Cheddar to discuss the early reviews and more top entertainment headlines.
It's official: the final four teams have been selected for the college football championship. Nick Dimengo, Senior Editor at FHM Magazine, joins Cheddar to discuss his picks for the Clemson vs. Alabama and Oklahoma, vs. Georgia games.
Jennifer Cunningham, Senior Editor at Bossip.com, and Todd Johnson, Managing Editor at The Grio, discuss Colin Kaepernick winning Sports Illustrated's Muhammad Ali Legacy Award. Kaepernick was honored for fighting social injustice against African Americans, and his pledge to continue to fight, despite not having an NFL contract.
When veterans return home from service, many struggle to find jobs and careers. That's why Quick Lane launched the "Trading One Uniform For Another," program to help veterans fund an automotive education and career.
The rodeo circuit has been one of the sporting world's biggest boys' clubs for over a century. That's changing, thanks to women like Duke Wimberly, one of the bronc riders featured on Ride TV's new series "Cowgirls."
Imagine running up a hill, wanting to give up, and then hearing a personal trainer in your ear urging you to keep going. Would you?
Ethan Agarwal, CEO of Aaptiv, joins Cheddar to discuss how his app is making it possible for people to get motivated during a running workout.
