MMA News

Tag: Cody Brundage

  • “Pure Check-Cashing Performance” – Johnson Defeats Brundage

    “Pure Check-Cashing Performance” – Johnson Defeats Brundage

    It wasn’t a popular fight, but Donte Johnson will be the answer to an important trivia question — who scored the victory in the first-ever UFC fight to broadcast on CBS.

    Johnson scored a victory over Cody Brundage in their UFC 326 prelim bout — the first bout to air in a two-hour block that was simulcast on both Paramount+ and CBS.

    Brundage controlled the action during the first round, catching Johnson coming in wildly with a power strike and countering with a takedown. Brundage was clearly dominant with positioning on the ground and was more accurate with his striking.

    Johnson was ready for Brundage’s ground game in the second, stuffing the takedown attempt. Johnson controlled the action in the second with strikes on the ground, as well as threatening a choke at one point.

    After a close third round, all three judges scored the bout 29-28, with two judges giving the bout to Johnson.

    Donte Johnson Defeats Cody Brundage In First UFC Bout On CBS At UFC 326

    Johnson moves to 8-0, and he is 2-0 in the UFC since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He made his UFC debut in November, finishing Sedriques Dumas.

    Brundage now falls to 11-9-1. He has lost three straight and is 1-4-1 (1 NC) in his last seven fights.

  • ‘Very Unfortunate’ – Fans & Fighters React To Mansur Abdul-Malik Scoring Technical Decision After Headbutt Spoils Wild Finish At UFC Atlanta

    ‘Very Unfortunate’ – Fans & Fighters React To Mansur Abdul-Malik Scoring Technical Decision After Headbutt Spoils Wild Finish At UFC Atlanta

    Mansur Abdul-Malik is still undefeated and (technically) still hasn’t gotten a full 15 minutes, though he now has seen a judges’ scorecards — not in the way anyone might expect.

    Abdul-Malik thought he scored a third-round TKO of Cody Brundage, but an accidental clash of heads resulted in the fight going to a decision instead.

    The fight didn’t have much action over the course of the first 10 minutes, with both men taking a cautious approach with their striking. Abdul-Malik had the edge, however, even busting Brundage open behind his ear during the second round. Brundage, however, scored his fair share as well.

    But the two appeared to let their hands go completely to start the third round, throwing wild exchanges. Abdul-Malik landed a strong knee to the body. Brundage soon went down covering up, with Abdul-Malik throwing ground-and-pound in route to a TKO. But upon replay, the fighters accidentally clashed heads, which resulted in Brundage folding up on the ground.

    Due to what the replay review revealed, the finish was called off. With the fight entering the third round, the brief round was scored and went to a technical decision, with Abdul-Malik instead being awarded a technical unanimous decision.

    Headbutt Sees Mansur Abdul-Malik Go From Finish To Decision Win Over Cody Brundage At UFC Atlanta

    https://twitter.com/JessicaPenne/status/1934084494367363462

    Abdul-Malik, an alumnus of Dana White’s Contender Series, is now 3-0 in the Octagon after finishes of Duško Todorović and Nick Klein.

    Brundage is now 3-2 (1 NC) in his last six, coming into tonight off a win over Julian Marquez in March.

  • ‘Beats Pantoja’ – Fans And Fighters Back Manel Kape For Title Shot After UFC Vegas 103 Knockout

    ‘Beats Pantoja’ – Fans And Fighters Back Manel Kape For Title Shot After UFC Vegas 103 Knockout

    Manel Kape made a statement that he should be next in line for the UFC flyweight championship, taking out Asu Almabayev in the main event of UFC Vegas 103.

    “Starboy” got off to a strong start, grabbing momentum right away with the striking display he put on in round one. He added in a couple of stops when Almabayev went for takedown attempts during the frame. Kape continued to utilize his striking in the second, but the Kazakh fighter seemed to dictate the pace by circling the cage while looking to land his own strikes.

    Kape landed a flurry in round three that appeared to hurt Almabayev. This sent Almabayev stumbling and into retreat, as he ran nearly a whole lap around the Octagon backwards. He looked for a takedown on Kape when the Angolan caught up to him, but referee Mike Beltran elected to stop the fight via TKO due to Almabayev’s retreating and back-turn.

    After that performance, plenty are calling for the #6-ranked contender to challenge the winner of the expected Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France clash for the flyweight gold.

    Is Manel Kape Next For UFC Flyweight Title Shot After UFC Vegas 103 Win?

    Kape has now won six of his last seven fights, with his sole loss in that span coming against Muhammad Mokaev.

    Meanwhile, this loss snaps a 17-fight win streak Almabayev was on entering tonight, going back to 2017. The Kazakh prospect scored victories in the Octagon against Ode’ Osbourne, CJ Vergara, Jose Johnson and Matheus Nicolau prior to tonight.

  • Cody Brundage Capitalizes On Controversial Referee Pause To Score Comeback Knockout At UFC Vegas 103

    Cody Brundage Capitalizes On Controversial Referee Pause To Score Comeback Knockout At UFC Vegas 103

    Cody Brundage emerged victorious from the UFC Vegas 103 co-main event, but the finishing sequence wasn’t without some controversy.

    Brundage started strong by landing an overhand right that stunned Marquez. He continued the attack, but Marquez managed to battle back and create a back-and-forth battle. After submission attempts from both men, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” took control with a hook and ground strikes.

    Back on the feet in the round’s closing minute, the two traded strikes in a wild exchange, with Brundage ultimately wobbling Marquez once more, dropping him and finishing things off with ground-and-pound.

    Unfortunately, the UFC Vegas 103 co-main event will go under controversy, as referee Marc Smith elected to pause the fight during the back-and-forth brawling to hand back both men’s mouthpieces, which had fallen. It was arguable that the pause allowed Brundage to gain momentum one last time for the win.

    Referee Pause At Center Of Controversial UFC Vegas 103 Co-Main Event Conclusion

    https://twitter.com/xsmegmma/status/1896015763426984102

    With this win, Brundage bounces back after a loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300 and a no contest with Abdul Razak Alhassan.

    Marquez, meanwhile, has now lost four straight, falling to 9-6. He hasn’t scored a victory since defeating Sam Alvey in April 2021.

  • Abdul Razak Alhassan Slams Cody Brundage After No Contest At UFC Fight Night Denver: ‘Crazy Day…Trump Got Shot & I Got Robbed’

    Abdul Razak Alhassan Slams Cody Brundage After No Contest At UFC Fight Night Denver: ‘Crazy Day…Trump Got Shot & I Got Robbed’

    UFC middleweight powerhouse Abdul Razak Alhassan is far from pleased with how his appearance in the Octagon concluded this past weekend.

    Alhassan opened the main card of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Denver, with the Ball Arena playing host to his first fight in nine months. The Ghanaian was tasked with getting the better of Cody Brundage if he was to bounce back from a loss to Joe Pyfer last time out.

    In the opening seconds, “Judo Thunder” looked on track to doing so as he launched a barrage of shots at Brundage with his usual fast-starting style. But as it appeared a finish was approaching, Alhassan lost control of his offense and landed shots to the back of his opponent’s head.

    When another followed a warning from Dan Miragliotta, the referee intervened. That turned out to be all she wrote, with Brundage telling the ringside physicians he could no longer continue.

    The result went down as a no contest, and suffice to say, Alhassan was left fuming…

    Alhassan Insists ‘P*ssy’ Brundage ‘Definitely Could Have Continued’

    After showing clear frustration inside the cage, Alhassan let his anger out on social media soon after.

    In an Instagram Story, the Ghanaian 38-year-old placed his setback in Denver alongside the apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump to brand Saturday a “crazy day.”

    And Brundage received the brunt of Alhassan’s anger, with the knockout artist insisting that his American counterpart was fine to continue and simply looked for a way out of the fight.

    “Sorry to all my fans, all my people,” Alhassan said (h/t MMA Fighting). “I wanted this bad. I wanted this win. I wanted this fight so bad. I have so much anger and so much energy in me right now that I wanted to use but I wasn’t able to use it. I guess today is a crazy day. Trump got shot and I got robbed.

    “I know definitely he could have continued. He just decided to be a p*ssy and didn’t want to fight anymore. It is what it is. I hope him a speedy recovery,” Alhassan concluded.

    But Alhassan can perhaps also feel fortunate not to have exited the cage with a defeat on the night, with some in the community suggesting Miragliotta should have disqualified him for continuing the illegal blows after a warning.

    Regardless, “Judo Thunder” avoided a losing skid, but he is now on a two-fight winless run. He’ll no doubt look to break that by having his hand raised soon enough, with a quick turnaround likely on the table having taken no damage in the 37 seconds before the unfortunate stoppage at Ball Arena.

  • Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’

    Cody Brundage Reflects On Bo Nickal Defeat At UFC 300 Ahead Of Denver Return: ‘I Didn’t Feel Outclassed’

    UFC middleweight Cody Brundage recently opened up about his loss to Bo Nickal at UFC 300. He expressed remorse over not fully capitalizing on the chance to perform at his best in one of the most crucial fights of his career to date.

    Brundage is poised for his comeback against Abdul Razak Alhassan on the main card of UFC Fight Night Denver, scheduled for this Saturday at the Ball Arena in Colorado.

    Over the past 18 months, the South Carolina native has maintained a highly active schedule, with this weekend’s bout against Alhassan marking his sixth appearance in the Octagon since April 2023.

    Brundage has had a challenging run, posting a 2-3 record during this period. His most recent outing was a second-round submission loss to Nickal at the UFC’s milestone event this past April.

    The former LOC two-division champion demonstrated remarkable resilience and forced the wrestling specialist to exert extra effort, becoming the first fighter to push his opponent into the second round.

    Despite being defeated, Brundage believes he was never completely outshone by Nickal. Instead, he attributes his loss to a few minute mistakes that proved costly…

    Brundage Laments Lost Opportunity Against Nickal, Asserts Minor Adjustments Could Have Changed Outcome

    During a recent interview with InsideFighting, Brundage pondered his defeat against Nickal and also expressed frustration at not securing a victory at UFC 300, recognizing the lost chance to shine on such a significant stage.

    “I mean, it definitely was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Brundage said. “It was cool; it was such a great opportunity. I wish I would have cashed in on it and taken advantage of it.”

    The 30-year-old went on to commend Nickal for his impressive performance, admitting that a few critical errors on his part ultimately precipitated his defeat.

    “I didn’t feel outclassed when I was in the fight. I just think I got little overzealous. I didn’t keep my composure as well as I probably should have and that led to him having some success, and props to him, you know, he was able to finish the fight.

    “I could have represented myself even a little bit better than I (did), but as far as the experience, it was awesome.”

    Brundage made his promotional debut at UFC 266 in September 2021, where he suffered a decision loss to Nick Maximov. To date, he has struggled to leave a lasting impression in the UFC, securing only four wins out of his nine fights.

  • Song Yadong, Khalil Rountree Among Four UFC Vegas 50 Bonus Winners

    UFC bantamweight prospect Song Yadong and light heavyweight Khalil Rountree earned $50k for their performances at UFC Vegas 50.

    Yadong seized his moment in the UFC Vegas 50 co-headliner against former title challenger Marlon Moraes, knocking him out with a vicious uppercut in the first round. He has now won three straight and appears to be on the verge of a top 10 spot.

    Check out Yadong’s violent knockout below.

    Yadong is a protege of MMA legend Urijah Faber down at Team Alpha Male.

    Yadong wasn’t the only one who shut the lights out on his opponent. Rountree overcame a slow start against Karl Roberson to blitz him with a barrage of strikes in Round 2.

    Rountree landed a stiff body kick along with a series of hooks that sent Roberson collapsing to the canvas.

    Rountree has now won back-to-back fights.

    In one of the most miraculous in-fight comebacks in recent memory, UFC middleweight Cody Brundage survived a near TKO finish from Dalcha Lungiambula to choke him out with a guillotine. He sunk in the choke by allowing Lungiambula into his guard off of a takedown attempt.

    The UFC Vegas 50 prelims began with a wild flying knee knockout by the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov against Tafon Nchukwi in his UFC debut.

    Murzakanov is a former Dana White’s Contender Series standout and could be a light heavyweight to watch in 2022.

    Yadong, Rountree, Brundage, and Murzakanov all cashed in a $50k post-fight bonus check and will look to continue their positive momentum later in 2022.

    Who do you want to see Song Yadong fight next?