Cody Durden Wrestles Past Ode Osbourne for Unanimous Decision Win
Cody Durden wasn’t interested in winning a striking battle against Ode Osbourne at UFC Vegas 123 on Saturday night. He had a much simpler plan, take Osbourne down, make his life miserable, and repeat until the final horn.
Durden leaned heavily on his wrestling, repeatedly dragging Osbourne to the canvas and threatening submissions throughout the fight. Osbourne had his moments, but Durden’s relentless grappling earned him a unanimous decision victory.
It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but Durden got exactly what he came for: a return to the win column.
Round 1 – Durden opened things up with a clean overhand right, but Osbourne was looking to answer with something much bigger. Unfortunately for Osbourne, that’s exactly what Durden wanted, as he quickly changed levels and secured the takedown. Osbourne grabbed onto a guillotine, but couldn’t get his legs involved enough to make it a serious threat.
Osbourne eventually worked his legs into position, but Durden popped his head free and settled into top control. From there, Durden turned the fight into an ugly, gritty ground battle, mixing in ground-and-pound while maintaining control. He postured up and landed several shots, but Osbourne worked to break his posture and limit the damage.
Unfortunately for Osbourne, that defensive effort opened the door for Durden to take his back. Durden immediately locked in a body triangle and began hunting for the neck. He managed to sneak his arm across Osbourne’s chin, forcing him to fight off the choke.
Osbourne successfully defended the choking arm, but Durden wasn’t finished making his life miserable. He transitioned to a Scottish twister attempt, giving Osbourne yet another submission threat to worry about. Osbourne battled through the position, refusing to give Durden the finish.
Durden eventually abandoned the submission and moved into mount, where he began unloading with nasty ground-and-pound. Osbourne turned to face him, but that only gave Durden another opportunity to rain down punches. At this point, Durden was making the fight as uncomfortable as possible, and Osbourne couldn’t catch a break.
Round 2 – Durden wasted absolutely no time getting back to his wrestling, quickly dragging Osbourne to the canvas to start the second round. Osbourne immediately fought to get back up, but Durden stayed glued to him throughout the scramble. Durden regained top position before Osbourne finally managed to work his way back to his feet.
Osbourne landed a leg kick, but Durden was practically waiting for another invitation to shoot for a takedown. He connected with a right hand before changing levels and putting Osbourne right back on the canvas. Durden was noticeably slowing down, looking like he was moving through wet cement after an exhausting opening round. Unfortunately for Osbourne, even a tired Durden was still finding ways to get the fight to the ground.
Osbourne refused to stay there, scrambling out of danger once again and getting the fight back to the feet. Durden continued looking for openings, ducking under Osbourne’s attacks and throwing his right hand to set up the wrestling.
Just before the horn, Durden shot in for another takedown and planted Osbourne on the canvas to close the round. He might have been running on fumes, but Durden wasn’t about to abandon the game plan that was working.
Round 3 – Durden wasted no time going back to the wrestling, shooting for another takedown as the final round got underway. Osbourne managed to fight his way back to his feet, but Durden immediately dragged him down again. This time, however, Osbourne turned the tables and came out of the scramble in top position.
Osbourne worked his way to Durden’s back and began hunting for a choke, looking to steal the fight late. After spending much of the fight defending Durden’s wrestling, Osbourne finally had an opportunity to make him uncomfortable.
Both fighters eventually worked their way back to their feet as the final horn sounded, bringing the gritty battle to an end.
Cody Durden got the decision and bounced back into the win column.
Official Result: Cody Durden def. Ode Osbourne via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
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