Nyamjargal Tumendemberel

Cody Durden vs. Nyamjargal Tumendemberel
BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Tumendemberel (-148), Durden (+124)

Round 1
What should be a grappler’s delight will treat fans as flyweights Durden (17-9-1, 6-7-1 UFC) and Tumendemberel (9-1, 0-1 UFC) ply their trade against one another. The former has dropped three straight, while the latter’s “Art of Knockout” nickname may be a little off-kilter as the Mongolian celebrates most of his victories via tapout. Regardless of funky, multi-syllabic, the two will meet under the auspices of referee Jason Herzog, and they race towards one another without a touch of gloves to get things started.
Durden peels back right before crashing into his opponent, and they offer low kicks at one another before Durden shoots for a double-leg entry. Tumendemberel defends by jumping guard with a guillotine choke, and both fighters are fresh and dry as a bone. Tumendemberel adjusts his grip to grab hold from a different angle, hanging the choke higher up but not locking it down entirely. Durden slithers his neck out of danger and looks to get off some ground strikes, and it takes mere seconds before Tumendemberel scrambles. Tumendemberel is able to stand, and Durden takes his back from one side and has his gloves grabbed while doing so. Herzog warns the Mongolian of the foul, and Tumendemberel leans to put Durden against the cage behind him to take the weight off his back. Tumendemberel shakes his foe off, and the two reset. Both land a single leg kick before Durden shoots, and once more Tumendemberel attacks a guillotine.
Durden twists all the way around to free his neck far easier this time, and he forces them to stand so he can take Tumendemberel down in a way he wishes. The house lights flicker on and off during the match, and Durden looks to Herzog confused while also stifling a takedown shot. Durden knees a bent-over Tumendemberel in the face, and Tumendemberel lifts him off the ground and slams him down on his back. Durden hits the ground and sets up an armbar, snatching hold of Tumendemberel’s right limb but failing to grip it fully. Tumendemberel wriggles out and retreats, and Durden pops back up. Tumendemberel swings for a big right hand, and Durden shoots for a counter takedown. Tumendemberel flips Durden to his back and elbows him in the face a few times, but Durden is still pressing for the takedown. When Durden flips his foe over, the round ends.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel

Round 2
Herzog issues Tumendemberel a stern warning to not strike Durden in the back of the head between rounds, and Tumendemberel acknowledges this. They start off the second round with Tumendemberel whipping low kicks, and his long punches keep Durden from recklessly shooting…for a time. Durden does go after a takedown, and he gets tossed to his back and attacks a leglock. Tumendemberel sits down to take the danger out of the ankle/heel lock, and he drills Durden in the side of the head until he legs it go. Tumendemberel grabs hold of Durden’s back and assumes a body triangle, and Durden still looks to turn and break out of it. Durden manages to put Tumendemberel on his back despite a brief body lock, and the Mongolian is once more warned for hooking his fingers inside of Durden’s gloves. The ensuing scramble results in Tumendemberel flipping Durden over, where he holds on with a guillotine choke from his back.
This allows a potential Von Preux submission, but Durden smiles when it is applied and his smiles disappears when he gets belted in the face by Tumendemberel’s free right hand. Herzog is on top of these two as there are possible fence grabs, illegal upkicks and other malfeasance going on, and the moment Durden gets up, Tumendemberel hits a clean tackling double to put the American back down. Tumendemberel smothers while in top control grinding his elbow on his foe’s face while Durden motions to Herzog for some intervention. Tumendemberel drills Durden hard in the back of the head, and Herzog calls for him to aim for the ear. Durden gets to his knees and stands, where he rushes after Tumendemberel and nails him with a one-two. When Durden keeps throwing, time expires, and Tumendemberel punches him clearly after the bell. What are rules?

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Durden
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Durden

Round 3
Durden opens up with a huge right hand, and Tumendemberel counters him by tackling him to the floor. Durden turns the corner to take the back of the Mongolian, who manages to shimmy and slowly buck Durden off of him. Tumendemberel thumps Durden on the chin with a few more elbows, and Durden returns to a knee in hopes of standing. When Durden stands back up, Tumendemberel mat returns him and takes his back to lock up a body triangle. Tumendemberel starts fishing for a rear-naked choke before getting position, and he nails Durden in the back of the head again. Durden slumps over and finds himself in RNC danger, with Tumendemberel’s arm across his face. Durden hand-fights to defend the submission, and he breaks the grip around his face and abdomen to reverse “Art of Knockout.”
Durden drops down a single right hand and positions himself to attack an arm-triangle choke, and he is in half guard with Tumendemberel answering the proverbial telephone to defend the submission. Durden lays flat on top before jumping to the other side, and Tumendemberel rolls to his knees to break out of it. Durden clings to his man from the back, and Tumendemberel bumps and shakes but Durden has his toes hooked in the cage to prevent him from getting rolled off. Durden hangs on for dear life, but he is inch-by-inch sliding off. Tumendemberel finds the moment to free himself and he lashes out with a hard right hand, all while planting Durden flat on his back. Tumendemberel leans his shoulder down to pressure for a possible arm-triangle, and he stands up and finds himself in Hail Mary heel hook danger. Tumendemberel yanks his limb free and the bell sounds, but he decides he is not done fighting and tries to boot Durden in the face with a soccer kick after the bell. Herzog shoulder-checks the Mongolian to his back, but nothing else happens.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel (30-27 Tumendemberel)
Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel (29-27 Tumendemberel)
Dayne Fox scores the round: 10-9 Tumendemberel (29-27 Tumendemberel)

The Official Result
Nyamjargal Tumendemberel def. Cody Durden via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)