Cody Stamann is back in the Octagon at UFC 235, facing Alejandro Perez in a bantamweight division affair.
The bantamweight prospect saw his ten bout winning streak come to an end after a loss to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 228, but the defeat reminded Stamann about something the fighter forgot, which was what losing felt like.
“I had a bad night, I had a really bad night. It just doesn’t happen very often, I’ve watched that fight a thousand times and in conclusion…there were a few small mistakes here and there. But in my head, I just think that I had a really bad night. I think I just didn’t show up, I didn’t do what I was trained to do…what I know I’m capable of doing. My body really wasn’t doing what I wanted (it to do) and I shit the bed, period. I don’t really have any excuses, I can’t blame anyone in my training camp or say I had an injury. I just didn’t show up and that’s the one thing we all talked about, you can be as good as you want in the gym…you can be as well prepared as you want, but when they shut that cage door…you got to show up. You gotta show up for fifteen minutes or less, however long the fight takes place…you have to be 100% ready and prepared for anything that happens and I was like a deer in the headlights out there. I’ve never been that way, in my eyes I was…17 straight I hadn’t lost…I hadn’t lost you know (in) 18 straight (fights). In my professional MMA career, I’ve won a crappy split decision before. It’s been a long time since I lost and honestly, I kind of forgot what it felt like and then after it happened…I was like ‘wow, this is brutal. This isn’t happening again, this is why I work so hard.’ It’s done nothing but to motivate me to take my game to the next level and I just want to be that much better for this fight,” says Stamann in an exclusive interview with Fightful’s James Lynch.
Stamann had won three straight in the UFC prior to the loss, including key wins over Bryan Caraway and Tom Duquesnoy.
UFC Fight Pass recently dropped Knockout Promotions from their line up after allegations of past racism from promoter Josh Medley were brought into the light. Stamann had fought for KOP in the past and says the whole situation cast a dark shadow over the Michigan MMA scene. (Note: Stamann’s comments were made before UFC Fight Pass announced that they wouldn’t be airing any KOP events.)
“I mean, that whole incident was nasty for Michigan and Maine. It really cast a dark shadow over everyone, no one respects somebody that is staying stuff like that about athletes. That’s sad, that could have easily been…those guys that he was talking about, that could have easily been my friends. So obviously I don’t have any respect for the guy, seeing what he said and the fact that he got on UFC Fight Pass…I don’t understand. I feel like somebody clearly doesn’t know what is going on, I think if everyone had the facts…that wouldn’t be happening, but I don’t think that everyone has the facts and there’s a communication gap. I think it’s up to somebody to say…to fill the UFC and everybody in on what’s going on in Michigan MMA, it’s not a good look. It’s not a good look for Michigan MMA, it’s not a good look for anybody and somebody needs to do something about it…whether that’s me or you or anybody. You can’t do those things and treat people that way and still run a business, that’s not how it works,” says Stamann.
UFC 235 takes place on Saturday, March 2 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Jon Jones and Anthony Smith headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
