UFC bantamweight Cody Stamann reveals how not being a "name" diminished his chances of getting fights in 2022

Cody Stamann is opening up about his status in the UFC's bantamweight division and addressing why he hasn't received opportunities in 2022.

Stamann spoke with John Morgan of MMA Underground, where he reflected on not getting a third fight in 2022. 'Spartan' mentioned that he accepted an offer to fight in November, but plans changed. He then added that not being a big name diminished his chances:

"I've had top-10 fighting experience, I fought the champ, I fought the number-one or two guy in the world - close fights. And the reality is like I'm not a f***ing a**hole that's running around on Twitter. I keep to myself... I want people to know me for my skills in the cage, not for my antics out of it." [2:35 - 3:00]

'Spartan' also mentioned that fighters are preoccupied with their desire to fight big names rather than an opponent who's close to them in the rankings:

"I'm probably one of the more dangerous guys to fight at 135lbs. You know, everybody is like, 'I wanna fight a name. I wanna fight a name.' Well, the reality is I don't have a number next to my name right now, so I'm not a name." [3:01 - 3:14]

Stamann is coming off an impressive 59-second knockout win against Eddie Wineland at UFC on ESPN 37, which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus and snapped his three-fight losing skid. The losing skid included losses to Jimmie Rivera, Merab Dvalishvili, and Said Nurmagomedov.

Check out the full interview:

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Who is Cody Stamann fighting next?

Cody Stamann returns to the octagon against Luan Lacerda at UFC 283, which will be the first pay-per-view event of 2023.

'Spartan' is in for a unique challenge as Lacerda is currently riding a 10-fight winning streak and making his UFC debut in front of his home crowd. While speaking with MMA Underground's John Morgan, Stamann mentioned that he feels confident despite Lacerda having the home crowd advantage:

"The only bad thing about this [fight] is that it's in Brazil. When you talk about a jiu-jitsu guy that's an absolute stud on the ground, that isn't a great wrestler, I take that matchup all day. So it really just came down to, like, there's a ton of really tough matchups... I know this kid's tough. But stylistically, I think I could put hands on [this] dude." [4:29 - 4:51]

It will be interesting to see what transpires during the bout as 'Spartan' has a great opportunity to work his way back to the top-10 rankings. On the other hand, Lacerda has the opportunity to make a statement in his UFC debut by defeating a veteran.