The second of back-to-back flyweight fights on Saturday’s UFC 326 preliminary card found Cody Durden paired up with Nyamjargal Tumendemberel.
At 1-5 in his last six fights and on a three-fight skid, Durden was almost certainly fighting for his job on Saturday. Tumendemberel was 1-1 in the company and coming off a win, but had struggled to compete consistently, fighting just once in both 2024 and 2025.
It was a flurry of action to open the first round, with Cody Durden rushing into range and landing two leg kicks on Tumendemberel. Durden followed up quickly, shooting for a double-leg takedown, but was immediately threatened by Tumendemberel jumping on a guillotine. The Mongolian fighter applied pressure for around a minute on the mat, but Durden was able to get back to his feet and was not deterred by Tumendemberel’s submission attempts, proceeding to shoot two more takedowns.
Clearly possessing an athletic advantage, Tumendemberel responded with a shot of his own, slamming Durden to the canvas. “Custom Made” was tricky from his back, threatening with an armbar that forced Nyamjargal Tumendemberel to disengage from the veteran on the ground. As the round came to a close, Durden was finally able to secure some top position, but was ultimately punished with elbows from Tumendemberel.
Starting round two, it was more of the same from the flyweights. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel shot a quick takedown on Cody Durden, with Durden responding with another submission attempt, attacking for a kneebar. Unable to finish the submission, Durden saw Tumendemberel regain top position once again. Both fighters traded reversals and submission attempts before the fight briefly returned to the feet for a short exchange, though it was quickly brought back to the mat by Tumendemberel with another takedown straight into side control.
The Mongolian fighter was able to ride out a minute of control before landing some ground-and-pound as Durden worked his way back to his feet. Back on the feet, Durden landed a couple of nice jab–straight combinations as the horn sounded, though Tumendemberel threw a strike after the round had ended.
With the final round underway, the message was clear for both fighters: Cody Durden needed a finish, while Nyamjargal Tumendemberel could coast toward a likely unanimous decision. Durden quickly jumped onto the back of Tumendemberel to open the grappling exchange, though he was eventually reversed into a dominant position by the younger fighter. Durden was able to turn out of danger, rolling out of bottom position for his best opportunity yet, attempting a triangle choke from half guard.
Tumendemberel proved too strong in the exchange, pulling his head free as Durden tried to tighten the choke while transitioning toward side control. Durden remained aggressive, taking the back of Tumendemberel and throwing up another kneebar attempt, but once again the Mongolian fighter was able to muscle his way out of the submission. After the final seconds ticked away, Nyamjargal Tumendemberel made sure to land another strike after the horn on Durden, causing some unrest from the American crowd in support of their fighter.
Nyamjargal Tumendemberel was clearly victorious after three rounds, earning a unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Cody Durden. Tumendemberel improves to 2-1 under the UFC banner, while Durden is faced with the tough reality of four consecutive losses.
Official Result: Nyamjargal Tumendemberel def. Cody Durden by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28)
