Rivalries: Cody Stamann

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Cody Stamann has led something of an uneven life in the increasingly treacherous Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division.

The Michigan Top Team representative will attempt to improve upon his 5-3-1 record inside the Octagon when he takes on Said Nurmagomedov in a UFC 270 featured attraction on Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Stamann enters the cage on the heels of back-to-back losses. The 32-year-old last appeared on May 1, when he dropped a three-round unanimous decision to the surging Merab Dvalishvili at UFC on ESPN 23.

As Stamann approaches his critical confrontation with Nurmagomedov, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career:

Lawrence DiGiulio

The Gilbert Grappling representative eked out a contentious split decision and handed Stamann his first professional defeat at Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting 52 “Evolution” on Aug. 15, 2014 at the Crystal Gardens Banquet Center in Southgate, Michigan. All three cageside judges struck 29-28 scorecards, two of them in DiGiulio’s favor. The victor keyed in on the body and head, pawed at Stamann with a persistent jab and mixed in basic one-twos. DiGiulio made his most significant moves in the second round, where he trapped “The Spartan” in an arm-in guillotine choke early and staggered him with a two-punch combination late. Stamann executed two takedowns in Round 1 but saved his best efforts for the third. There, he delivered another takedown, integrated some ground-and-pound and progressed to side control. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, native wobbled DiGiulio with a left hook in the final minute, then connected with the cleaner shots when they exchanged in the middle of the cage in the waning seconds. Stamann thought he had done enough. Two judges informed him otherwise. More than four years passed before he lost again.

Tom Duquesnoy

Stamann did not buy into the hype, as the Michigan Top Team export leaned on takedowns, ground-and-pound and surprisingly effective standup in posting a split decision over the former two-division British Association of Mixed Martial Arts titleholder in the featured UFC 216 prelim on Oct. 7, 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Judges Marcos Rosales and Rick Winter scored it 30-27 and 29-28 for “The Spartan,” while Chris Lee cast a dissenting 29-28 nod for Duquesnoy. Regarded as one of the sport’s top prospects at the time, Duquesnoy seized control early—he connected with body kicks, straight lefts and a few of his patented standing elbows in close quarters—but failed to maintain his advantages. Stamann executed multiple takedowns in the second round, applied his ground-and-pound and turned the tide in his favor. Duquesnoy’s output dipped to alarming levels in the Round 3, his confidence likely shaken by the success Stamann enjoyed on the mat. As a result, the gifted Frenchman wound up getting outstruck across the final five minutes and came up short on the scorecards.

Aljamain Sterling

The Serra-Longo Fight Team standout slowed Stamann’s roll in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division when he submitted the former Triple X Cagefighting titleholder with a Suloev Stretch kneebar in the second round of their UFC 228 undercard battle on Sept. 8, 2018 at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Sterling brought it to a close 3:42 into Round 2. The onetime Cage Fury Fighting Championships and Ring of Combat champion climbed to full mount in the middle stanza, advanced to the back and drove Stamann’s face into the mat with a full nelson. The Michigan Top Team export tried to stand with Sterling still attached to him, only to have the “Funk Master” bite down on his leg and wrench it sideways. The “stump puller” kneebar variation forced Stamann to tap almost instantly, the joint having been bent beyond its bounds.

Yadong Song

Stamann and Song fought to a controversial majority draw in a three-round UFC on ESPN 7 bantamweight showcase on Dec. 7, 2019 at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Judge Sal D’Amato scored it 29-27 for Stamann, while David Braslow and Steve Rados struck 28-28 scorecards that sent an audible murmur rippling through the crowd. Song was deducted a point for an illegal knee strike in the first round, costing him what would have been a split decision win. Though he was met with stout punching combinations on the feet, Stamann controlled parts of the first and second rounds with takedowns and positional control. He he found another gear in the third. There, he took down Song, stymied his momentum on the mat and ultimately climbed to full mount. Stamann tore into the Team Alpha Male prospect with ground-and-pound, all while floating from one dominant position to the next. He had the look of a fighter heading for certain victory, only to have two judges turn their back to him.