Cody Brundage is tired of hearing all the hype behind Bo Nickal.
When Brundage steps inside the Octagon this Saturday night (April 13) at the UFC’s landmark event in Las Vegas, he will do so as the biggest underdog in the promotion’s 30+ year history. According to DraftKings, Nickal is a -2100 favorite, meaning you would have to throw down $2,100 on the three-time NCAA Division I National Champion to win $100.
Speaking about his role as a +1100 dog during Wednesday’s UFC media event, Brundage likened the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding Nickal to the resurrection of Jesus.
“I think it’s kind of funny,” Brundage said. “I talked to some of my teammates, like Rob Wilkinson who’s a PFL champion. I talked to Anthony Smith and asked, ‘If you think I got booked to fight you tomorrow, you would be a bigger favorite than Bo Nickal?’ They’re like, ‘Probably not.’ The odds are what they are, but sometimes it’s more a narrative of what people think because, at the end of the day, Bo Nickal’s never been hit so for him to be that kind of favorite just seems insane to me.
“Obviously, I’m a little biased, but it seems pretty wild. I know people think he’s like the second coming of Jesus Christ in MMA, but I just don’t see it.”
Can Cody Brundage Bring a Halt to the hype train?
Bo Nickal is a perfect 5-0 in his mixed martial arts career thus far, beginning with a 33-second knockout of John Noland under the iKON FC banner. He followed that up with back-to-back finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series, needing less than two combined minutes to dispatch Zack Borrego and Donovan Beard.
He’s since added two more victories, finishing Jamie Pickett and Val Woodburn in the opening rounds at UFC 285 and UFC 290.
After four fights with the UFC, including his DWCS appearances, Nickal has only absorbed three significant strikes. Cody Brundage — who holds an 80% finish rate in his MMA career — plans on being the first fighter to truly test the former Nittany Lion’s chin at UFC 300.
Check out Cody Brundage’s full media day appearance below: