Not a whole lot of people become UFC champions, and if that proves to be the case for Cody Brundage, he won’t be surprised.
Sure, Brundage no doubt would love to become a UFC middleweight champ. But when he looks at his life outside the cage, then looks at what he’d need to do differently to up the ante in the cage, it might not be in the cards.
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Of course he puts himself through some rigors in the day-to-day fighter grind, and those are actionable things he knows his kids can see and help realize the value of goal-oriented hard work.
“I think it makes me a better dad because I can really speak to pursuing your passion and overcoming adversity and doing uncomfortable, hard things in the pursuit of growth – which makes me a better husband, dad, friend, all of those things,” Brundage recently told MMA Junkie Radio.
“… Fighting is a huge piece of my life. I don’t know what’s really missing. I guess it would depend on what you think makes a great fighter.”
And therein lies the problem for the 31-year-old factoryX-trained Brundage (11-7-1 MMA, 5-6-1 UFC), who at the end of the month will take on Cam Rowston (13-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 325 (Paramount+) in Sydney.
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Brundage is coming off a split decision loss to Eric McConico in August in a light heavyweight bout, up from middleweight. He had a draw with Mansur Abdul-Malik before that. In March, he knocked out Julian Marquez in the first round.
Brundage thinks one of the things that could tip the balance on his career also might make him less of what he is proud of on the home front.
“I think sometimes selfishness makes a great fighter, and I don’t really have that,” Brundage said. “I think it’s hard to be a dad and have selfishness. I have a little bit, I’m sure, but I don’t know if I have the selfishness you need to be a UFC champion.
“So maybe that’s what’s missing – I don’t know.”
Check out Brundage’s full interview below.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Cody Brundage thinks one key thing could keep him from a UFC title
