Once again an underdog, Cody Brundage enters UFC Fight Night 223 with chip on his shoulder

LAS VEGAS – Cody Brundage enters UFC Fight Night 223 in a familiar role, and it’s starting to bother him a bit.

For the fifth time in as many UFC fights, Brundage (8-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) goes into Saturday’s middleweight bout with Rodolfo Vieira (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC), which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+ following early prelims on ESPN2, as the betting underdog.

“I feel like there’s a chip on my shoulder because every fight I’ve had in the UFC, I’ve been an underdog,” Brundage told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 223 media day. “I don’t think people really give me much respect, which is OK. Maybe I haven’t done anything to earn it. In my eyes I have, but that doesn’t really matter sometimes. I fee like I have a chip on my shoulder because people are counting me out. I know they are.”

Despite his constant underdog status, Brundage has proved oddsmakers wrong 50 percent of the time in winning half his UFC bouts so far. He enters UFC Fight Night 223 on the heels of a first-round knockout loss to Michal Oleksiejczuk and has never lost back-to-back bouts in his MMA career.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.