Cody Stamann Record: 21-8-1

UFC arrival and early run

Stamann debuted at UFC 213 in July 2017 with a unanimous-decision win over Terrion Ware, then scored the signature win of his early UFC tenure that October, upsetting touted prospect Tom Duquesnoy by split decision at UFC 216. He kept climbing in March 2018 with a split-decision victory over veteran Bryan Caraway, pushing into the rankings. His first UFC loss came at UFC 228 in September 2018, when future champion Aljamain Sterling caught him in a second-round kneebar.

Tested by the division's elite

Stamann rebounded in March 2019 with a unanimous-decision win over Alejandro Perez, then fought to a majority draw with rising contender Yadong Song in December 2019 in one of the year's most competitive bantamweight bouts. He opened 2020 with a decision win over Brian Kelleher before dropping decisions to Jimmie Rivera and, in 2021, to future champion Merab Dvalishvili. After a 2022 submission loss to Said Nurmagomedov, he answered with a first-round TKO of veteran Eddie Wineland and a unanimous-decision win over Luan Lacerda in early 2023. The back end of his run grew difficult, with decision losses to Douglas Silva de Andrade and Taylor Lapilus and a 2024 first-round submission defeat to Da'Mon Blackshear.

Fighting style

Stamann is a wrestling-based pressure fighter who leans on takedowns, top control and a steady boxing attack rather than highlight finishes — 12 of his 21 wins have come by decision, with a finish rate of 43%. His conditioning and toughness let him hang with elite competition deep into rounds, and his fight IQ shows in how often he turns close fights his way. The trade-off is a relatively low finishing output and, late in his career, vulnerability to submissions, with all three of his stoppage losses coming on the mat against high-level grapplers.

Career highlights

• Upset of a top prospect — his 2017 split-decision win over Tom Duquesnoy at UFC 216 announced him as a legitimate bantamweight contender.
• Ranked-contender run — victories over Bryan Caraway and Alejandro Perez carried him into the UFC bantamweight rankings.
• Tested against champions — shared the cage with future titleholders Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, fighting at the division's highest level.