Cody Durden changed his nickname with just four days notice, right before submitting Matt Schnell.
Schnell was originally scheduled to face Alessandro Costa in the flyweight division on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 242 at the Apex in Las Vegas, but the bout was moved to bantamweight after Durden stepped in to replace an injured Costa.
After being outgunned early on, Darden put up a ferocious fist-fight throughout the first round before submitting Schnell with a ninja choke 29 seconds into the second. Darden said he hadn’t prepared much for the bout, having drunk too much over the weekend. He took it easy all Monday, sparred on Tuesday and then requested and was granted the bout on short notice.
“I didn’t do much preparation,” Darden said during the post-fight media briefing. “I had a few drinks on Sunday, probably more than I should have. I was in bed all day Monday, went back to the gym and sparred five rounds on Tuesday. Then I posted my thoughts on Twitter and I don’t know what I’m doing here, but here I am.”
“Custom Made” elaborated on his new nickname and explained that he likes a variety of things, including hunting and fishing, and has an eclectic taste in music.
“Custom Made. I’m a little crazy,” he said. “I love country music, I love rap music, I love deer hunting, I love fishing, I’m custom made. I like to do a little bit of everything and listen to all types of music. So yeah, I’m custom made.”
Asked about a possible timeline for his return, Darden joked that he would fight at UFC 306 next weekend at The Sphere in Las Vegas if a replacement was needed.
“Someone must have fallen out of the sphere. [UFC 306] “Am I available next weekend? I’m just playing,” Durden said. “I’m feeling good. I’m just going to have fun tonight. But if they call me and offer me a new contract, I might play.”
