# Cody Durden

Cody Marcus Brian Durden (born March 29, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

## Background

Playing multiple sports since early childhood, Durden was an aspiring baseball player but around the eighth grade he switched completely to wrestling due to stopped growth. A 2009 graduate of Eastside High School, he wrestled under coach Michael Smith-Foot, leading the Eagles to two state championships. He compiled a remarkable 121–31 record, winning four area championships, two sectional titles and advanced to the state final as a senior.
After the arrival of his son, he started working instead of attending school. After the invitation of his long-time friend and mixed martial artist Travis Knight to train at a gym, he started training regularly around the age of 21 and made his amateur debut in 2014.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Durden's first bout in 2014 brought him a loss against Francisco Quijada in the amateur National Fighting Championship promotion. Following that loss, Durden went on a five-fight win streak with the NFC, prompting the fighter to move up to a more professional level.
Durden won his first four professional fights, then suffered back-to-back defeats to Jared Scoggins and Ryan Hollis. He would go on to win the next 7 bouts, all via stoppage, winning the VF Bantamweight Championship in the process.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

Durden, as a replacement for Luke Sanders, faced Chris Gutiérrez on August 1, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan. The fight ended in draw.
Dropping down to flyweight, Durden was scheduled to face Jimmy Flick on December 5, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori. However, Durden was prevented from competing after being diagnosed with conjunctivitis, and the bout was postponed to take place on December 19, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. He lost the bout via flying triangle choke in the first round.
Durden faced Aori Qileng on November 20, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate. He won the bout via unanimous decision
Durden faced Muhammad Mokaev on March 19, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 204. He lost the fight via guillotine choke in round one.
Durden faced JP Buys on June 25, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 38. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Durden was expected to face Kleydson Rodrigues on October 29, 2022, at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen. However, Rodrigues withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight champion Carlos Mota on four day's notice. Durden won the bout via unanimous decision.
Durden faced Charles Johnson on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Durden was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228. However, the bout was canceled as Durden instead faced Jake Hadley at UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font on August 5, 2023 as a result of Hadley's original opponent,Tagir Ulanbekov, being unable to compete. Durden defeated Hadley by unanimous decision.
Durden faced Tagir Ulanbekov on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. He lost the fight via a face crank submission in the second round.
Durden was scheduled to face Carlos Hernandez on June 29, 2024, at UFC 303. However, Durden was pulled from the event for unknown reasons and was replaced by Rei Tsuruya. Later in an interview, Durden said in an interview that the reason for withdrawal was an issue with a banned substance from a possibly contaminated supplement, from which he was subsequently exonerated.
Durden ended up facing Bruno Gustavo da Silva and on July 20, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 60. He lost the fight by technical knockout in the second round.
On under a week's notice and replacing an injured Alessandro Costa, Durden faced Matt Schnell in a bantamweight bout on September 7, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 242. He won the fight via an anaconda choke submission in the second round. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.
Durden faced Joshua Van on December 7, 2024 at UFC 310. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

## Personal life

Durden has a son (born 2011) from a previous relationship and is a stepfather for his current wife's daughter.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (One Time) vs. Matt Schnell
* Valor Fighting Challenge
** VF Bantamweight Championship (One time; former)

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 25 matches | 17 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 1 |
| By submission | 6 | 4 |
| By decision | 5 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 17–7–1 | Joshua Van | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 310 | December 7, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 17–6–1 | Matt Schnell | Submission (ninja choke) | UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Brady | September 7, 2024 | 2 | 0:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Bantamweight bout. Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 16–6–1 | Bruno Gustavo da Silva | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Lemos vs. Jandiroba | July 20, 2024 | 2 | 2:58 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 16–5–1 | Tagir Ulanbekov | Submission (face crank) | UFC 296 | December 16, 2023 | 2 | 4:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–4–1 | Jake Hadley | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Sandhagen vs. Font | August 5, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 15–4–1 | Charles Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón | April 29, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 14–4–1 | Carlos Mota | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Allen | October 29, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–4–1 | JP Buys | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot | June 25, 2022 | 1 | 1:08 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–4–1 | Muhammad Mokaev | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | March 19, 2022 | 1 | 0:58 | London, England | |
| Win | 12–3–1 | Aori Qileng | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate | November 20, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 11–3–1 | Jimmy Flick | Submission (flying triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal | December 19, 2020 | 1 | 3:18 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Return to Flyweight. |
| Draw | 11–2–1 | Chris Gutiérrez | Draw (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan | August 1, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11–2 | John Sweeney | TKO (punches) | NFC 125 | July 18, 2020 | 1 | 1:20 | Conyers, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 10–2 | Varon Webb | Submission (rear-naked choke) | NFC 124 | March 7, 2020 | 1 | 3:17 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Dre Miley | TKO (strikes) | Valor Fighting Challenge 66 | November 1, 2019 | 2 | 4:37 | Knoxville, Tennessee, United States | Won the vacant VF Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–2 | Jeremy Rogers | Submission (armbar) | Valor Fighting Challenge 59 | May 18, 2019 | 1 | 0:59 | Kodak, Tennessee, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Dylan Schulte | TKO (slam) | SCL: Army vs. Marines 10 | April 27, 2019 | 1 | 0:30 | Loveland, Colorado, United States | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Win | 6–2 | Todd Monroe | Submission (armbar) | 864 Fighting Championship 9 | November 30, 2018 | 3 | 4:56 | Duluth, Georgia, United States | Return to Bantamweight. |
| Win | 5–2 | Todd Monroe | TKO (punches) | 864 Fighting Championship 5 | July 21, 2018 | 1 | 3:15 | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | Catchweight (127 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 4–2 | Ryan Hollis | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 864 Fighting Championship 3 | March 24, 2018 | 2 | 3:39 | Greenville, South Carolina, United States | Catchweight (130 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 4–1 | Jared Scoggins | Decision (unanimous) | NFC 97 | July 22, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Duluth, Georgia, United States | Flyweight debut. For the NFC Flyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Dave Morgan | Submission (guillotine choke) | NFC 92 | March 24, 2017 | 1 | 0:39 | Kennesaw, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Devante Sewell | Decision (unanimous) | NFC 88 | November 11, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Damarcus Holmes | Submission (rear-naked choke) | NFC 85 | July 22, 2016 | 1 | 1:01 | Kennesaw, Georgia, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Marcus Levester | TKO (punches) | NFC 83 | March 25, 2016 | 1 | 1:30 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Bantamweight debut. |

## Professional boxing record

| 4 fights | 4 wins | 0 losses |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Justin Tyler Parker | UD | 4 | April 27, 2019 | Budweiser Events Center, Loveland, Colorado, U.S. |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Isidro Guzman | UD | 4 | March 9, 2019 | Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Matt Murphy | UD | 4 | August 11, 2018 | Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Andre Knighten | UD | 4 | December 9, 2017 | Belle of Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |