Cody Brundage on upcoming fight at Fight Night 253; UFC Middleweight division, message for fans & more [Exclusive]

The South Carolina native will battle Julain Marquez this Saturday

UFC Middleweight star Cody Brundage is all geared up for his much-awaited return to action inside the octagon after a long break. Brundage will battle Julain ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis’ Marquez in the co-main event of the UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Almabayev card.

In the main event of the show, two rising Flywieghts, Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev will battle to stake claim to a match against the Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja. The card will emanate live from UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 1.

Cody Brundage is coming off a controversial no-contest fight against Abdul Razak Alhassan who landed multiple shots to the back of the head causing severe damage to Cody who was unable to continue leading to the fight ending in a no-contest.

Both fighters are looking for a decisive win as Cody is on a two-fight losing streak and Marquez, on the other hand, is on a three-fight losing streak. Ahead of his fight on March 1, Cody Brundage sat down with Khel Now for an exclusive interview. 

"I THOUGHT WE WERE WRESTLING" 🗣️@CodyBrundage185 wants to show off his power this weekend in the #UFCVegas103 co-main event! [ Live SATURDAY on @ESPNPlus | 7pmET ] pic.twitter.com/0J4IZ9X09w

— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2025

Brundage reflected on his last fight, coaching Youssef Zalal, and discussed his upcoming clash against Marquezat at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

How did you feel about the outcome of your last fight?

Brundage discussed the difficult decision to not continue the fight against fellow UFC Middleweight Al Hassan and emphasized the importance of fighter safety and brain health. He also stated that he did the right thing to not continuing in the match.

“You know, it was unfortunate, a lot of time and energy put in and, work and the goal is never to leave with one cheque, but as far as the decision to not continue in the fight, I think it was the right decision.

We already have enough brain damage no matter what. Right? There’s enough trauma. So if there’s, a situation where illegally you’re put into a compromised position. I think more fighters, you know, should do the smart thing. And, if you’re not good to go, you’re not good to go and that’s not on you.

So I feel like I made the right decision, me and my coaches, and obviously unhappy with the outcome. But, happy to be where I’m at now. You know, there was definitely some, some dark days afterwards and it took a while, to come back from the injury, but, I think the time off and the amount of energy put into, work to kind of get over the concussion and things like that was important. And, Kind of a testament to like, Hey man, good thing you didn’t continue.“

Having faced it twice, What is your opinion on fouls in MMA?

When asked about the unique reaction of fans on fouls in MMA fights citing the recent Henry Cejudo vs Son Yadong example, Brundage admitted that MMA fans will always judge the fighters no matter what and pointed out the difference between MMA and other sports where fans at least have played the sport, unlike MMA where 99% of fans aren’t willing to step in the octagon.

Brundage emphasized the importance of prioritizing personal well-being, especially after a concussion, and explained that while fans may be upset, fighters need to focus on their families and long-term health. He also pointed out there’s always going to be criticism from fans and cited examples of Henry Cejudo and Sean Strickland.

“You know, I feel like it’s tough because fans are gonna judge you no matter what. And it’s an interesting thing because fighting is, is different than any other sport. You know, there’s not many people that are willing to get in their underwear, in front of millions of people and go fight somebody and, 99% of fans, I would say, aren’t willing to do that.

Like I can’t, you’ve never been in that situation. You’ve never been in, in a spot where you know you are concussed, you were knocked unconscious, and now you know they’re gonna boo you and be mad at you. I have to go home to my kids and my wife and be able to be a dad and and husband. And so you just gotta kind of figure out what your priorities are and realize, that fans are gonna hate, they’re gonna be mad.

You see it all the time though. You see it with Henry Cejudo with this incident, but you see it with Sean Strickland. He went out, put on a fight, got his nose broke. Maybe it wasn’t the most exciting fight, but he is fighting for a world title and, people want to hate on him. Oh, it wasn’t exciting enough. It wasn’t what you know, so no matter what you do, there’s always gonna be some critique and some hate. And I feel like that just kind of comes with the territory.“

How happy were you with Youssef Zalal’s performance against Calvin Kattar?

Brundage helped his fellow Factory X member and friend, UFC Featherweight Youssef Zalal in his training camp and was in his corner in his clash against Calvin Kattar in the main event of the UFC Apex card on February 15.

Cody had nothing but high praises for Zalal citing Youssef’s impressive striking defense, which is rare in MMA, and emphasized his all-around skills, including grappling and submission. Brundage also believes that Zalal is a tough challenge for everyone in the division.

“I thought it was a great performance. You know, I feel like, if you watch the guys that Kattar’s fought, if you see the before and after of them, they’re pretty messed up whether they won or lost and you know, I don’t think Yusef really got hit clean at all, the whole fight. And everyone knows he’s a great grappler.

I think he really showed people that his strikings on another level, his striking defense is pretty rare. I don’t think you see it in MMA very often. Somebody with such good striking defense, you know, he’s a real problem in the division because it’s hard to hit him. He can wrestle, he can submit you and, to game plan against him is, is just a nightmare.

And, uh, I was happy with it, man. I’m happy for him. He works his, his butt off and so for him to get, you know, ranked in the top 15 and, and have a dominant performance over a guy who’s been in the top 15, almost the last five years, I think was, it was a statement win for sure”

When asked if fans will see more of Coach Cody, he replied that coaching has become a significant part of his life, especially during his break. He also stated that while he loves fighting he’s unsure if he’ll ever compete as frequently as he did before. Cody plans to fight a few times a year but is focused on coaching, which he’s passionate about

“Yeah, for sure, coaching, is a huge part of, of me, and especially with this break, you know, I’ve really dove into the coaching role and I love fighting and I don’t know if I’ll ever fight. Like, I did like the clip that I was fighting at,

I fought six times in 14 months and I was pretty active and I don’t know if I’ll ever do that again, but you’ll definitely see me coaching and fighting hopefully two, three times a year. And, keeping it a little more, uh, steady pace. But yeah, coaching is something I love. I love watching my guys that work really hard, achieve their goals and be getting to be a part of that is something that’s really special and important to me.“

Can you walk us through your typical training camp?

Brundage described his intense training routine, revealing that he works privately with his coaches, including head coach Marc Montoya, and trains at Bar West Colorado for strength and conditioning four times a week.

“I have a lot of privates with my coaches. You know, Youssef (Zalal) helps coach me as well, so, I work privately with him. I work privately with my head coach, Marc Montoya. Yeah. I do strength and conditioning at Bar West Colorado, I do that four times a week.

iWe have practice every day, obviously, and sparring once a week. It’s a pretty busy schedule. You know, I coach classes at night to the open students, which I enjoy doing. And it’s important for me. You know, I feel like it helps me refine my game.

Like, oh wait, I gotta rework this ’cause I don’t necessarily know how to do it. Right. So, it’s busy man. Fight camp is busy and, you know, constant schedule, but it’s good. I feel like I really turned it up probably eight weeks out for this fight. Um, I was in shape, in training, but really dialed it in eight weeks out. And so it’s been a long camp, but it’s been good. And, I’m ready to rock.”

Julian Marquez, what do you think of the matchup?

Cody revealed that he knows Marquez very well and even considers him a friend, the two stars have trained with each other for a year at Factory X, making them very familiar with each other’s styles. He also pointed out that most of their fights do not go to decision, which makes for an exciting matchup.

“I know Julian really well. I would say we’re friends, I trained with him for like a year at Factory X, and so we know each other inside and out. I know his style. He knows my style.

And, we’re both bangers, man. We both come to finish the fight. Most of our fights are kind of, either you’re going to win by finish or you’re gonna lose by finish. I mean, there’s not many fights that are going to decision and that’s always exciting for fans, as far as the matchup, I feel good man. I feel fast, I feel sharp, and um, I feel like there’s a lot of ways I can win this fight.”

When asked where his advantage lies against Marquez and if wrestling will play a crucial factor, Brundage expressed confidence in his grappling, stating that he has been in the cage with top grapplers Bo Nickal and Rodolfo Vieira.

Cody believes he has a significant advantage in both speed and striking power against Julian and plans to let the fight on Saturday flow naturally rather than forcing a finish.

“I feel like I can grapple with anybody. You know, I’ve been in there with, with the best grapplers in the division, like Rodolfo Vieira, multiple time ADCC champion. I’ve been in there with him.

I’ve been in there with, Bo Nickal, who’s maybe the best wrestler in the UFC, and, I feel like I’ve had my success with him. Obviously those fights didn’t go my way, but. That’s the top tier of grappler. And I feel like I could hold my own, you know, Julian’s not that tier.

I feel like anybody’s gonna be hard pressed to out grapple me. That’s kind of on my tier or below. And, but I feel good in the striking too, man. I feel like I have a huge speed advantage. I feel like the power’s there, I feel like I’m more dynamic than Julian, which plays a, big piece. And, I just don’t need to force anything. I think just let the fight kind of happen and instead of trying to force and hunt a finish and it’ll find it.”

Are there any fighters in the UFC Middleweight division you have your eye on for a future matchup?

Cody stated that he is focused on the fight on Saturday and will then sit down with his coaches to decide his next opponent. While he didn’t have a specific name in mind he mentioned Gerald Meerschaert as a potential matchups he’d be open to

“I just kind of take it as it is, man. I want to get this win on Saturday and then whoever they offer me, you know, I’ll sit back with my coaches and decide, Hey, is this the fight we want?

But there’s not really a name that comes to mind that I’m like, man, I really want that fight. It’s kind of whoever they’re gonna offer. I feel like there’s some guys out there, maybe like a Gerald Meerschaert or, somebody like that. I would, I wouldn’t mind a fight like that. I think that would be a good matchup for sure.”

When asked about his plans for 2025 and how active he wants to be, Cody responded by stating that he aiming to fight two to three fights in 2025.

“I think like two to three fights, you know, I think this one, maybe one more. This one, maybe two more. Just kind of depends on how this one goes. Right? I don’t wanna get too far ahead of myself, but, you know, go have a good performance and, and maybe we, we turn around in, in August and then get one at the end of the year and, and get three fights this year I think would be, would be pretty good pace.”

Fight prediction & any message for UFC fans in India

Brundage is confident he will finish the fight, however, he is unsure of which round he will get the finish. He also believes that this will be his best performance ever and voiced his excitement for the fight.

Cody also expressed enthusiasm for the possibility of a UFC event in India and recognized the passionate fanbase in the country. He also stated that he would love to be part of such a potential event to help grow the sport further.

“I think that I’m gonna, I think I’m gonna finish the fight. You know, I don’t know what round I’m gonna finish it. I don’t know how I’m gonna finish it, but, I would be hard pressed to think the fight goes to the, to the judges.

Um, I think it’ll be my best performance I’ve ever had. And, uh, I’m excited to get in there and, and kind of show my, my work and then, you know,

Shout out to the, the UFC India fans. I think it would be great if we could get an event out there. You know, I, I feel like fans are hungry for an event out there and, um. You know, I would love to be a part of it. It would be great to get, get in front of the fan base and, and uh, you know, build the sport even more.”

Watch UFC Fight Night – Kape vs. Almabayev on March 02, 2025, 5:30 AM IST onwards live on Live on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD

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