[autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag] 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.
![](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2024/09/Matt-Schnell-retirement-video-UFC-Fight-Night-242.png?w=1000)
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.