Before Kody Nordby tries to improve to 8-4 against David Garcia at CES MMA 41 at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I., on January 27, LIVE on AXS TV Fights, the revitalized Rhode Island bantamweight spoke with Pro MMA Now.
What did you take away from your five-round CES MMA Bantamweight Championship knockout loss to Andre Soukhamthath earlier this year?
Really, that I needed to switch up my camps a bit and that I couldn’t really rely on my wrestling anymore. Going into that fight, I was just wrestling three times a week. I went in there with the mindset of wrestle, wrestle, wrestle. When Andre stopped that, there wasn’t a Plan B. Now I’m working with Greg Rebello and training at Sityodtong, Tri-Force and Juniko. I’m getting all different looks and working on every aspect of my game.
How much have you improved since your loss?
I’m a totally different fighter, night and day. Before I was just a ground guy. As you could see in my last fight, I was really using my stand-up. My hands and my muay Thai will be showcased more and more as I spend more time with Greg Rebello and Mark DellaGrotte.
Was losing that fight a blessing in disguise?
Yes and no. Nobody likes to lose, but I needed it to see what I had to do to accomplish my goals in MMA.
How much of an impact has Greg Rebello already had on your career?
Huge impact. I’m a whole different fighter. It’s going to sound redundant, but I was just a wrestler going in there. I got to a point where people would catch on, and Andre did. Having Greg Rebello take me everywhere and taking me under his wing has helped me out a ton so far. All of my coaches and training partners have had a huge impact on my career.
How do you see this fight playing out?
I’d like a knockout on my record, but I’ll do whatever I have to do to get the win. I’m definitely going to finish him in the first round, either knockout or submission.