Cody Brundage (born May 16, 1994) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who competes in the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

Background

Brundage was an accomplished high school wrestler at

Chapin High School Chapin High School is a public high school in Chapin, South Carolina. Nearly 1,400 students attend Chapin High School, as of the 2017–2018 school year. Chapin High School is one of four high schools in Lexington & Richland County School D ...

Chapin, South Carolina Chapin, popularly known as the "Capital of Lake Murray", is a small lake town located at the northern tip of Lexington County, South Carolina, United States. Lake Murray separates Chapin from the rest of Lexington County. The population of Chapin ...

. He held a 56–3 record as a senior, finishing as the state-runner up and held a career record of 128–22. Brundage also played football and was on the swim team. He continued wrestling for local

Newberry College Newberry College is a private Lutheran college in Newberry, South Carolina. As of 2023, it had 1,521 students. Academics Newberry College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) ...

. At Newberry, Brundage had 96 wins and was a two-time NCAA qualifier, and was team captain. Brundage's interest in MMA started in his wrestling days, running fight clubs out of the wrestling rooms. After completing college and wrestling on the

team, he started fighting and training to fulfill his competitive drive.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Brundage made his amateur debut in 2017, compiling a record of 4–2 before turning professional in 2019. Brundage went 5–0 on the local Midwest scene, capturing the Lights Out Championship Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Championships, defeating Erick Lozano for both at LOC 6 in December 2019, and at LOC 7 in February 2020. Brundage got a chance at a UFC contract at Dana White's Contender Series 31 against William Knight. However, he lost the bout via TKO in the first round. Brundage faced Joseph Kropschot at LFA 99 on February 12, 2021. He won the bout via third round arm-triangle submission.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Brundage made his UFC debut as a replacement for Karl Roberson against Nick Maximov on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. Brundage lost his debut via unanimous decision. Brundage faced Dalcha Lungiambula on March 12, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev. He won the fight via guillotine choke in round one. This win earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award. Brundage, as a replacement for Josh Fremd, faced Tresean Gore on July 9, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Brundage was scheduled to face Rodolfo Vieira on November 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 215. However, Vieira pull out from the event due to undisclosed reason and the bout was scrapped. Brundage, as a replacement for Albert Duraev, faced

Michał Oleksiejczuk Michał Oleksiejczuk (born February 22, 1995) is a Polish mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. A professional since 2014, he was the former Thunderstrike Fight League Light heavyweight champion in Poland. He currently competes in the middle ...

on December 17, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 216. Brundage lost the fight via knockout in round one. Brundage faced Rodolfo Vieira at UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón on April 29, 2023. He lost the fight via submission in round two. Brundage, as a replacement for Punahele Soriano, faced Sedriques Dumas on June 24, 2023 at UFC on ABC: Emmett vs. Topuria. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Brundage faced Jacob Malkoun in a short-notice fight on September 23, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 228. Brundage won the fight via disqualification, after being rendered unable to continue due to an illegal elbow to the back of the head. Brundage faced Zachary Reese on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52. He won the fight by first round knockout due to a slam and punches. This fight earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Brundage faced Bo Nickal on April 13, 2024 at UFC 300. He lost the fight by rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Brundage faced Abdul Razak Alhassan on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59. The bout ended in a no-contest early in the first round as a result of elbows to the back of the head of Brundage rendering him unable to continue. Brundage was scheduled to face The Ultimate Fighter: Team Grasso vs. Team Shevchenko middleweight tournament winner Ryan Loder on March 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253. However, Loder withdrew from the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Julian Marquez. Brundage defeated Marquez by technical knockout at the end of the first round. Brundage faced Mansur Abdul-Malik on June 14, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 69. He lost the fight by technical decision after an accidental headbutt rendered Brundage from continuing in the third round.

Personal life

Brundage comes from an athletic family; his mother was on the U.S. Olympic team for biathlon, and his father was Special Forces. Brundage's youngest brother played lacrosse, and his sister plays soccer on the D-1 level. He is married to former UFC fighter, Amanda Brundage, who retired to get her nursing license.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (Two times) *Lights Out Championship **LOC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) **LOC Middleweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brundage, Cody 1994 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Newberry Wolves wrestlers American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People from Chapin, South Carolina Sportspeople from Lexington County, South Carolina Mixed martial artists from South Carolina 21st-century American sportsmen