Las Vegas, NV — Middleweight Cody Brundage has had the longest build up to a fight in his UFC career ahead of a showdown with Bo Nickal at UFC 300.
For Brundage (10-5) that added time is a welcome change from the number of short-notice bouts he’s picked up in recent years.
“I feel like all my fights in the UFC pretty much have been pretty much short notice,” Brundage explained during Wednesday’s UFC 300 media day, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press. “So it was definitely different, and trying to taper and make sure I was not burning myself out super quick was maybe the toughest part, but I feel like I had it dialed in pretty well.”
“It was nice to have some notice. I could do some different things, bring some different people in. So it was good.”
Brundage is a sizeable underdog against Bo Nickal, one of the hottest prospects to enter the UFC in years. A large chunk of the fanbase probably sees this as Nickal’s fight to lose, but Cody Brundage himself prefers to get Nickal now later than down the line.
“I’m definitely a guy that, whoever they give me I’m going to fight. But I like the match-up with Bo. I feel like, I’ve said this before, catching him now is better than catching him in two to three years when he’s had more time to figure it out,” Brundage stated. “He’s very green, he has a lot of unknowns and it’s my job to see if he can answer those come Saturday.”
And while he’s said he’s “not happy to be here” in the past, Brundage clarified that statement on Wednesday.
“I feel like I’m a different problem for Bo to figure out. Obviously when I say I’m not happy to be here, I’m happy to be here. UFC 300, huge card, great opportunity. But I’m not just happy to be here. I’m here to win, I feel like I can compete very well. I’ve obviously had my ups and downs in the UFC, I’ve been a little inconsistent, so that’s kind of why this fight’s narrative is what it is. But when I put it all together, I’m a real problem for anybody.”
Watch the full UFC 300 media day appearance by Cody Brundage above.
