LAS VEGAS – Rodolfo Vieira beat Cody Brundage with a second-round submission Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Vieira, who got his first win in nearly two years.
Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
Updated records: Vieira (9-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Brundage (8-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Key stat: Vieira has all nine of his wins by stoppage, including eight by submission.
Vieira on the fight's key moment
“It was a hard fight because I wasn’t expecting him to come so hard the way that he did, and I thought I was going to lose after I pulled guard and he start to ground-and-pound me. But he was punching me so hard, and then he got tired and I did what I did. I used my jiu-jitsu and finished him.”
Vieira on taking advantage of a Brundage mistake
“I took a risk. He grabbed my neck very tight. After that, I started to think, ‘No, he just cannot close the guard. I’m not going to let this happen.’ So he jumped, but he wasn’t so fast. Then I was one step ahead and in that position. It’s very hard to finish if you don’t close the guard. So I just stayed there and waited for him to get tired and let go of the choke so I could start to work my jiu-jitsu.”
Vieira on what he wants next
“Now I’m not thinking about the next fight because I did two camps straight. I did one camp to fight in November, but I hurt my rib. My camp was almost three months training, every day, and then I got hurt. Then they scheduled (this) fight now. So I have been training for almost seven months straight, and I didn’t have any time with my family, with my wife, my kids. So I just want to come back to my home and spend time with them because I think it’s important for them and for me, as well. So after that, I’m going to do some physical therapy because I hurt my knee and my ankle, and soon I’ll be back to the gym.”
To hear more from Vieira, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.
