Garbrandt was born and raised in Uhrichsville, Ohio, and began boxing at the age of 15, trained by his uncle, who was an Olympic alternate in the sport. At Claymont High School, Garbrandt competed in wrestling, winning a state championship in 2005 by pinning his opponent, and was a runner-up in 2006. Garbrandt was also a Senior National All-American in 2006, but ultimately turned his focus to boxing over wrestling. Despite not competing in wrestling during his final two years of high school, Garbrandt received interest from several Division I schools, but for academic reasons, he briefly attended a Division II school, Newberry College. As an amateur boxer, Garbrandt compiled a 11-1 record. At the same time, Garbrandt furthered his amateur MMA career, taking his first bout in 2009. He competed in several amateur fights in his native Northeast Ohio before turning professional in 2012. Garbrandt is of maternal Bosnian Muslim descent and paternal Eskimo descent.

Garbrandt compiled an amateur MMA record of 4-2 before making his professional debut in 2012. Garbrandt compiled a record of 11-0, finishing nine of his opponents via strikes. Prior to his finish of James Porter in May 2014, he moved from Ohio to Sacramento, California to train at Team Alpha Male in an attempt to further his career.

On the heels of a first-round finish of Charles Sanford in October 2014, he signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the fall of 2014

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), UFC Athlete,