Cody Brundage faces one of the toughest puzzles to crack currently in the middleweight division, as he takes on Bo Nickal at UFC 300, on April 13th.
The milestone event is one of the most anticipated fight nights of all time, with three title fights atop the card and other fan favorites scattered throughout.
Cody Brundage ‘bummed’ about criticism regarding bout positioning
The Nickal vs Brundage matchup has received a lot of backlash from the MMA fanbase since it was announced because Bo Nickal is on a tear and Cody Brundage has lost three of his last five fights. Not only that, but the UFC doubled down and placed this bout on the main card of the milestone event.
The decision comes as a smart one from a business perspective, as it is giving more exposure to Bo Nickal, who the UFC is hoping to build into their next big star.
The credentialed college wrestler has quickly emerged as a future contender in the 185lb division, and because of his dominant college wrestling background, he is proving to be a tough matchup for anyone.
Since earning a contract on last year’s Contender Series, the 28-year-old has scored back-to-back first-round finishes against Jamie Pickett and Val Woodburn, and it seemed as though the UFC was going to fast-track him to the top 15.
The 29-year-old, Brundage, admitted in an interview with The AllStar, that it was a ‘bummer’ to see everyone questioning the UFC’s decision.
Below Nickal and Brundage on the card are seven former champions, including fan favorite Jiri Prochazka, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Cody Garbrandt.
“I think (fans’ reactions) are a little bit silly. It sucks a bit, it’s an exciting thing to be on the main card of UFC 300, it wasn’t expected I found out when everyone else did, I was sat there watching it with my family and friends and everyone was pumped.
“It’s kind of a bummer for everyone to be p***** as me, like man, I just work here.” Brundage added.
Brundage vows to ‘shock the world’ with a win against Bo Nickal
Despite that, it’s Brundage who is next to try and crack the puzzle, and he will hope to continue his recent run of wins, looking to make it three in a row for the first time in his UFC career. The Factory X product came close to being cut from the promotion following three losses in a row, but his turn in form came at just the right time.
Outside of the criticism, Brundage is hopeful he can use the backlash as fuel and has vowed that after the event, the main headline will be that ‘Cody Brundage shocks the world’.
“Whatever people want to say UFC 300 is the biggest card of all time, the fact of the matter is no matter what happens between the title fights, I go out there and have the performance I’m going to have, the main headline coming out of UFC 300 is Cody Brundage shocks the world.” Brundage claimed.
The 29-year-old will look to hand Bo Nickal his first career loss, taking the shine the UFC has put on the credentialed wrestler.