Cody Brundage taking UFC hiatus to train as firefighter

UFC middleweight Cody Brundage is stepping away from the octagon to join the fire service.

Brundage, who stopped Andre Petroski in May, told MMA Fighting that he has been accepted into fire academy and will train from August through January. The 32-year-old veteran expects to be out of action until 2027 as he and his wife, former UFC fighter Amanda Cooper, prepare for the arrival of their second child in July.

Why Brundage sees firefighting as his real career

Brundage is a 16-fight UFC veteran but says the decision to pursue firefighting is not about money. "Fighting is an awesome job but it's not really a career," he said, per MMA Fighting. He believes the stability of a second profession removes the desperation that forces fighters to compete past their prime or into bare-knuckle circuits when the UFC is done with them.

The firefighter schedule — 24-hour shifts with days off — will allow him to keep training and take fights when he chooses. Brundage said the security makes fighting easier because he competes out of love for the sport rather than financial need. "It gives me direction before I'm done fighting," he explained.

Brundage crammed three fights into six months this year to accommodate the hiatus. He is 9-6 in the UFC and noted that three of his last four losses were split decisions. "I feel like you switch those three to me winning, which isn't that crazy, and my record looks a lot different," he said. Fire academy runs four months and Brundage expects very limited MMA training during that stretch.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — ‘It’s not really a career’: Cody Brundage explains why he’s taking time off from UFC to become a firefighter | MMA Fighting