Kody Steele Vows to Rebuild After Setback at UFC 312
Kody Steele’s first professional loss came in a fast, striking-heavy bout with Rongzhu in Sydney on February 8, 2025. Rongzhu won all three rounds on the judges’ cards. Steele still left with a Fight of the Night bonus after both men traded through the closing seconds. In a post-fight interview, Steele discussed where his strategy shifted and why he respected Rongzhu’s willingness to keep engaging.
A high-paced debut
Steele entered the bout at 7–0 after earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he had built much of his reputation around grappling, but the matchup with Rongzhu became a mostly striking contest. Rongzhu’s hands and experience in exchanges created problems, and Steele later said he got caught up in the moment after an early takedown attempt was reversed.
That account came in Steele’s post-fight interview with Sports Illustrated. He said he felt he could take Rongzhu down, but after being hit he moved away from his intended approach. Steele also credited Rongzhu for improving since earlier appearances and said he believed he had faced the best version of his opponent. His comments describe a tactical adjustment during the bout, rather than a broad assessment of every part of his game.
The judges scored every round for Rongzhu, 30–27. The scorecards were unanimous, although both fighters continued trading in the final seconds. The official event results list the unanimous decision. Rongzhu kept pressing after building a lead, and the fighters exchanged until the final seconds. That finish helped earn them the Fight of the Night award and a $50,000 bonus each.
Steele’s response to his first defeat
Steele described the night as meaningful despite missing the win he wanted. In the interview, he talked about having dreamed of reaching that stage since childhood and said the experience was one he would remember. He expressed respect for Rongzhu, especially for continuing to trade rather than simply protecting the lead in the last moments. The public remarks show disappointment about the result alongside appreciation for the contest.
The defeat changed Steele’s professional record from 7–0 to 7–1, but it was only his first appearance at the top level. The loss gives him a full fight to review: the grappling did not consistently shape the bout, and exchanges sometimes pulled him away from the strategy he had planned. Those observations come from Steele’s account and the fight result.
A learning point, not a career verdict
One loss does not establish what Steele’s ceiling is. His performance showed that he could stay in a demanding fight with an experienced opponent, while also revealing how quickly the bout moved away from his preferred grappling exchanges. The bonus recognized the entertainment value of the contest, not a win. Rongzhu earned the decision, and Steele left with both his first defeat and valuable footage to study.
The most grounded version of the story is straightforward: Steele debuted against Rongzhu, lost a unanimous decision after a competitive three-round fight, and spoke afterward about the moment his plan shifted and his respect for the opponent. His future progress will be judged by what he does next in competition, rather than by predictions made immediately after the first loss.
Steele later turned that first-loss lesson into his first Octagon win. On May 2, 2026, at the Perth Fight Night event, he submitted Dom Mar Fan with a heel hook at 3:56 of Round 1, according to the UFC’s official results. The result moved his Octagon record to 1–1; it does not establish how the UFC will book him next.
