DETROIT -- When Jahmyr Gibbs reported to the Meijer Performance Center for the start of the Detroit Lions' offseason program in late May, a familiar face was missing.
For the first time in his career, his close friend and record-breaking backfield mate David Montgomery -- who was traded to the Houston Texans -- wasn't with him as he took the field, which took some adjustment.
"It's not weird anymore. It was weird when we first got back," Gibbs said during organized team activities on June 4. "It was weird, but now I'm pretty used to it. I talk to him every day."
Without Montgomery, the 24-year-old Gibbs is gearing up for a big 2026 season in which he is expected to transition into an every-down back after splitting carries with Montgomery for much of his first three seasons. This offseason, Detroit signed former Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco to a one-year deal in free agency, but it's no secret that Gibbs is the clear No. 1.
"He's going to be our bell cow now. He really became more of that last year, but we're going to hang our hat on him quite a bit," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. "We're going to do a lot of things we feel like he does well."
Gibbs is one of three players over the past three seasons with 5,000 yards from scrimmage. The others are Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry, both of whom had roughly 40% of their team's touches over that span. Gibbs, meanwhile, has had 32% of Detroit's touches since 2023, per ESPN Research.
While Gibbs says he hasn't felt any added pressure due to the expected increase in workload, he has gotten creative in preparing for his new role. Starting in March, he began implementing mixed martial arts (MMA) training into his offseason regimen, which he hopes will translate to increased success on the football field.
"It helps with body control. Your base and all that and faster hands," Gibbs told ESPN. "I would say with blocking, I get my hands up before they hit me."
"I feel like my body's gotten in better shape, like physically it looks better. And conditioning-wise, that conditioning is way different from here because you use nonstop movement in every muscle of your body," he said. "Out here [in football], you get more breaks and [there is] much more using your legs. But there [in MMA], it's just constant shoulders, knees, elbows, you go to the ground and all that so out here I barely get tired."
Gibbs has completed more than 20 hourlong training sessions with Rafael Cordeiro of Kings MMA Gym in Huntington Beach, California. He was referred to the legendary Brazilian coach by one of his close friends after Gibbs posted a message on social media saying he was looking for a trainer.
In his career, Cordeiro has helped guide the likes of former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and legendary fighters Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Cris Cyborg among many others.
The two men got to work shortly after the Lions' season, focusing on combinations, defense, and how to move in and out as Cordeiro takes Gibbs through the same routine his professional fighters follow, which has so far included three competitive sparring sessions.
"He now has the vision that the fighters have inside the octagon. He can see. When I say something, it makes sense for him," Cordeiro told ESPN. "So, we work on a lot of specific drills that will have him prepared for all situations -- long distance, short distance, how to move, how to control, how to keep his hands up and the kid understands very, very fast."
Cordeiro has been running his gym for 18 years and has worked with the likes of former boxing champion Mike Tyson. He said he has been impressed with Gibbs' dedication to learning the sport and likens Gibbs' physique and style to former MMA star Jon Jones because of his athleticism, flexibility and strong left kick.
"He shows zero fear. Zero hesitation. And this is the most important thing. I can teach techniques. I can teach punches, kicks, jiu-jitsu ... sure I can," Cordeiro said. "But to make people keep eye contact until they get to the end of the fight, this is something.
"If you can't keep eyes on the prize, I cannot teach and most of the times when he [exchanges] with my fighters, he would look in their eyes. Deep, deep, deep in their souls and this is the most important thing for a fighter."
As a kid, Gibbs was exposed to combat sports through his grandmother, Angela Willis, when he was around 7 or 8 years old. Willis was a huge fan of Anderson Silva and his nickname, "The Spider." Gibbs said his uncle also practiced karate and would teach him tricks which continued to pique his curiosity. Though he wrestled for one season in middle school, he never took combat sports up until now.
"I don't know why I didn't start earlier. I wanted to, I just didn't and then I just started doing it this year," Gibbs said of his fighting background. "I wouldn't say this is new to me. The stuff I do is pretty natural so it's not very hard for me."
Gibbs hopes becoming a lead back this season will be a similarly smooth transition. Last season, he accounted for 38% of the Lions' touches -- 10th in the NFL in terms of percentage of a team's touches -- and 55% of their rush attempts (12th in the league).
Those were both the highest percentages in those categories for his career, and it continued a trend of increasing usage from his rookie year.
Gibbs has played in six career games without Montgomery. In those games, he averaged 147 scrimmage yards and 24.3 touches. He scored eight total touchdowns.
One of Lions running backs coach Tashard Choice's main goals for Gibbs this season is to start at a faster pace than he did in 2025.
Cordeiro said he strongly believes Gibbs' MMA training will help.
"I truly believe that if you can survive football training, you can survive MMA training as well. It's the same level of intensity," Cordeiro said. "There's no different than the drills that guys do on the field and the drills that you do inside the octagon. It just changes the focus, but when you talk about physicality, he for sure is going to be able to do the transition very, very easily."