Cody Durden picked up one of the biggest wins of his octagon tenure Saturday when he tapped out Matt Schnell in highlight-reel fashion at UFC Fight Night 242.
After taking the fight as a replacement on just four days’ notice, Durden (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) went toe-to-toe with Schnell (16-9 MMA, 6-7 UFC) from the very first bell. The pair traded hard shots for several minutes with some grappling exchanges mixed in, and then it went to a second round.
That’s where Durden turned the tables on a Schnell takedown attempt and impressively rolled into a slick anaconda choke. After a brief struggle, Schnell tapped at the 0:29 mark of Round 2 in the bantamweight bout at the UFC Apex.
Check out the replay of the final sequence below (via X):
FOUR. DAYS. NOTICE. @Cody_Durden ends it early in Round 2 at #UFCVegas97 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F1ypVLMkvn
— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2024
.@Cody_Durden dedicated this victory to Apalachee High School and Winder, GA. pic.twitter.com/OBym7D0nym
— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2024
After the fight, the UFC broadcast team announced Schnell has retired from MMA competition and left his gloves in the center of the octagon.
Durden reveled in his big moment.
“Without risk there’s no reward,” Durden said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “Four days’ notice. Me and my wife went out Sunday night and I had a little bit too much to drink. But I backed it up. I came out here and I backed it up.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 242 results include:
- Cody Durden def. Matt Schnell via submission (anaconda choke) – Round 2, 0:29
- Yanal Ashmouz def. Trevor Peek via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chris Padilla def. Rong Zhu via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 4:14
- Isaac Dulgarian def. Brendon Marotte via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:19
- Andre Lima def. Felipe dos Santos via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Gabriel Santos def. Yi Zha via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
- Jaqueline Amorim def. Vanessa Demopoulos via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:28
- Andre Petroski def. Dylan Budka via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Nathan Fletcher def. Zygimantas Ramaska via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:14
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 242.
