BOWERSTON NATIVE Cody Gamble has his hand raised recently after defeating Timmy McFarland in a mere 38 seconds of the first round in their amateur heavyweight cage fight.

BOWERSTON — There are times when boxers or cagefighters never know from one minute to the next who their upcoming opponent could be. Cody “The Incredible” Gamble found himself in that predicament last month.

After training for a cage fight with Kenyatta Reid for several weeks, the Danville, Va.-based fighter pulled out of the bout without any warning.

“He pulled out after signing a contract,” Gamble said of Reid. “It’s very frustrating mentally, but that’s adversity and you have to overcome it somehow.”

And did he ever overcome it.

Gamble, a two-sport standout and 2019 graduate of Harrison Central, recently raised his Mixed Martial Arts amateur heavyweight record to 2-1 with a 38-second win over Timmy McFarland during Fight Club 247: Brawl in the Burgh 7 inside the Monroeville Convention Center. According to Gamble, he used the ‘Americana’ to subdue McFarland, who took the fight on late notice while filling in for Reid.

“What people don’t realize is that I had to re-train for a different style of fighter. Every fighter has a different style,” Gamble explained. “I went from training for a kickboxer or a guy who likes to throw punches to getting ready for a guy that does Brazilian Ju Jitsu. It’s is frustrating at times, but you just have to roll with the punches.

“I did just that and made the transition and adjustments in the last two weeks of my camp. I had to execute my moves and I did. He submitted in 38 seconds of the first round,” he added.

Gamble described the ‘Americana’ as an arm-breaking position that breaks the shoulder and elbow.

“He was a very tough guy,” Gamble said of McFarland, who hailed from Michigan and was making his ring debut. “I saw his elbow dislocate but he tapped before it completely broke.”

The 21-year-old said the fight was a good learning tool for him early in his career as he eyes bigger and better things down the road.

“It was a huge growing process for me because everything was going smoothly during fight camp. I’ve got a good opponent. I’m in good shape. I’ve been eating healthy and training three times a day six days a week,” he continued. “Then the wall hits that my opponent backed out. Now what am I going to do? Am I going to let keep me down or am I going to go through it? I went through it and came out on top.”

Gamble opened his career with a first-round submission of James Dodd during Caged Thunder II on March 7, 2020. He suffered a split decision setback to Raiden Keller during FC 247: Brawl in the Burgh 5 on Nov. 28, 2020 before getting back on track on May 22.

So, what does the future have in store?

“I’ll be fighting in the fall in either New York or Pittsburgh,” he said.