Cody Brundage won his UFC Vegas 79 bout against Jacob Malkoun due to a first-round disqualification after stating he couldn’t continue due to shots to the back of the head, leading to varied reactions from other UFC pros.
Cody Brundage was in desperate need of a victory after suffering three consecutive losses prior to UFC Vegas 79. Although he was successful in his quest, it was not in the manner he had envisioned. Brundage clashed with Jacob Malkoun in a preliminary match at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, held on Saturday. The initial stages of the fight saw some interesting exchanges, but Malkoun soon established his dominance, placing Brundage in a precarious position by the end of the first round with a 28-2 outstriking lead.
The fight took an unexpected turn when the referee halted it due to excessive strikes to Brundage’s back of the head. Claiming he was unfit to continue, this resulted in the match being called off prematurely. This peculiar turn of events led to a first-round disqualification win for Brundage, who fights under the Factory X banner.
Reactions among fellow UFC professionals to the bout’s abrupt end were mixed. Some fighters expressed sympathy towards the situation while others took a more cynical view. Jamahal Hill, via Twitter, made his objection known, tweeting: “He was landing to the back of the head the whole round!!!” Vinc Pichel also sided with Brundage, tweeting: “Dam and that wasn’t even the only shot to the back of the head either by that dude #Dirty.” However, another fighter, Ode’ Osbourne, offered a more neutral perspective. Noting the unfortunate circumstances, he tweeted, “Unfortunate. I was looking forward to seeing how this fight played out. You gotta want it. #UFCVegas79”. The strange ending has certainly stirred mixed responses within the UFC community.