Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has shared before that he didn’t have it easy growing up. But perhaps he’s never gone into detail like this.

In a candid and emotional interview with I Am Second released this week, Garbrandt went even further into just how difficult his upbringing was. He even held back tears as he revealed for the first time that he nearly committed suicide as a teenager – until his older brother walked through the door and prevented him from following through.

“There’s a part of the story where Zach came and intervened in my life, where I wanted to give up,” Garbrandt said. “I was a teenager. I think I was a senior in high school. I wanted to become a state champion again. I won state as a freshman, I got beat as a sophomore, I was injured as a junior. Wrestling was something I did my whole entire life, and I think losing the passion for that, I didn’t have any drive. I just felt unaccomplished, and I got in with the wrong crowd and started doing some drugs and partying and kind of living super carelessly, and it almost consumed my life. I felt like my road was running to an end.

“For a while, I wasn’t who I was. I was in a very dark place, a very very dark place, and almost hung myself. And my brother came in the door, and he saved my life. It’s the first time I’m talking about it, but I’ve never been more grateful for him. He just came in and busted down the door and gave me the biggest hug and sat there with me and cried with me and said everything was going to be all right. That was the day that, you know, really was a changing point for me and my life, as well.

“That moment, that bond, and that thing that we went through really brought us even closer. Attending church services together, and it was nice to be there with my big brother and worship God and learning and growing towards him. So that was the start of a growing relationship with the Lord.”

Garbrandt, 27, has gone on to much success in his professional MMA career, which opened up with 11 straight wins. That included claiming the UFC’s 135-pound title from Dominick Cruz in Decemeber 2016.

Since then. Garbrandt has been plagued by injury. He was knocked out in his first title defense against rival T.J. Dillasahw last year and most recently dropped the rematch to Dillashaw earlier this month at UFC 227 by TKO.

You can Garbrandt’s entire interview with I Am Second in the video above.

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