Athletes
It's All About The Journey For Cody Brundage
Colorado Native Cody Brundage Believes Fighting Is More Than Just Results And That His Experience Will Show Against Abdul Razak Alhassan At UFC Denver
Cody Brundage didn’t get the win his last time out at UFC 300 last April, but when he pushed Bo Nickal further than the highly touted middleweight prospect had ever gone before, to some it was almost like a win.
And though Brundage is ultra-competitive and not one for moral victories, he does find positives in the second-round submission loss.
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“I don't think I really fought poorly,” he said. “I think I could have done some better things as far as sticking to the game plan a little bit better and doing some of the things we worked on throughout camp, but when you get in there under the lights, sometimes that's a hard thing to do. But I'm never going to be a guy who is regretful or anything like that. I feel like I did all the work. I worked really hard that camp, I was super prepared, and I feel like I could have beat Bo Nickal.”
Brundage felt that way as soon as he signed on the dotted line to face Nickal on the historic card at T-Mobile Arena, and the actual fight was far from the blowout some fans expected it to be. And as the 30-year-old read post-fight comments on social media, he chuckled at some of the reactions to his performance.
“Just based off what people are saying, which is kind of crazy, I feel like my stock rose more off a fight where I got finished than fights where I finished my opponents,” he said. “That's just kind of the nature of the beast in this sport. I think people had such low expectations for me and how I would do, I thought it was crazy. I felt like I was a huge step up for Bo and I feel like I showed that. I had way more fights, I came from a wrestling background. I presented a lot of problems that he hadn't seen before. So the fact that people were underestimating me so much was kind of ridiculous. It was easy for my stock to rise because they thought I was going to get finished in 30 seconds or something.”
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Brundage laughs, knowing what an interesting relationship he’s had with a segment of the fanbase. He caught heat when he was hit with an illegal elbow from Jacob Malkoun and won via disqualification, has been criticized for losing fights when he only entered the UFC with seven pro bouts under his belt, and has just been a target for those who don’t realize that he’s had to grow up in public on the biggest stage in the sport. You’re going to lose sometimes, and he’s put together enough memorable wins over Dalcha Lungiambula, Tresean Gore and Zachary Reese (all finishes, by the way) to earn his respect. But hey, it’s only him and his opponent settling their business on fight night, and that’s the way he likes it. So when asked why he agreed to jump back into the fray this weekend against Abdul Razak Alhassan instead of having a nice Colorado summer with his wife and two kids, you know the answer already.
I just love fighting, man,” said Brundage. “That's my favorite thing to do. I'm lucky it's my job, but it's truly my passion and if I'm not at the gym, I feel out of place. If I can make some money while I'm doing it, even better. So I didn't really take any damage in my last fight and they were coming to Denver, my hometown, so it was a hard opportunity to pass up.”
Fighting in his adopted hometown is a plus, but on the other side of the coin, he is going in there with one of the hardest punchers, pound-for-pound, in the game in Alhassan. Brundage has always been honest in assessing what it takes to step in the Octagon with some certified killers, and this time is no different.
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“There's definitely a healthy fear there,” he laughs. “A lot of people have said it, but the most recent person I can remember saying it is Dustin Poirier, after he fought Michael Chandler. He was like, there can't be courage without fear. So that's kind of what it is. That's part of the reason I do the sport. I love proving to myself what I'm about and that I'm courageous and that I can do those things. And you can't do that unless there's a little bit of fear. This guy has all first-round finishes and he throws heat, he throws bombs, the guy's a vet, he has 12 fights in the UFC, he's had his ups and downs just like myself. So there's definitely a lot of respect, but it's a healthy level of respect. I think we're going to get after it. I think it's a fight that has Fight of the Night written all over it. We're both first-round finishers and yeah, I'm excited for it, man. It's going to be a good one.”
It's another example of how fighters are not like the rest of us. Going in there with Alhassan is not most people’s idea of a good time, but Brundage is clearly amped up for it because a) that’s how he’s built, and b) he is confident he’s leaving with a W. Yet no matter how the fight turns out, Brundage will hold his head high because he knows that he prepared for a 15-minute war.
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“I've tried to remember it's not about results, it's about the journey,” he said. “It's about the work that's put in. Fight night isn't indicative of the whole process. This game is so crazy and it's a game of inches, and winning or losing doesn't necessarily determine who the better fighter is or who the more prepared person is or any of that. So you can't really hang your hat on results, you just have to put in the work.”
UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs Cortez took place live from Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on July 13, 2024. See the Final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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