Cody Stamann felt his UFC career was over.
The 30-fight veteran, who spent more than seven years with the promotion, suffered a three-fight losing streak in November 2024, the last fight on his contract. In that case, the UFC reserves the right to re-sign the fighter to a new contract or remove him from the roster altogether. Staman still held out hope that he might be contacted on short notice, as he had always been able to get in touch whenever such things had happened in the past.
Instead, three months later, Staman learned his fate via social media that his time in the UFC was over.
“That was my last fight on the contract in November,” Staman explained in an interview with MMA Fighting. “Obviously, it wasn’t a great show for me. It was probably the worst match of my entire career. I had a pretty good idea that it was over. But if I had a chance at 145 pounds on short notice, I would have loved to do it, too, because I think 145 pounds is the rest of my career. I just got too big. So if something happened, (they) said, ‘Let’s see.’
“I had no idea and I was released. For sure, the way I was released wasn’t great. I found out on Instagram. I wish I had gotten something from (UFC), I wish someone had told me. Instagram and Twitter I had to learn about it. It sucked, but the UFC has always been really good to me. I’m not going to sit here and complain about anything because they changed my life. That.
Of course, Stamann isn’t the first fighter to find out he won’t be released or re-signed in a similar manner, but he didn’t leave it that long to get over that sting.
The truth is, he understands that this is how the sport goes sometimes, and there’s no malice in how it was handled.
“That’s the game,” Staman said. “We sign up for it. It’s a hurtful job. If you’re sensitive and can’t deal with it, you should have stayed in school. I’m long past that.”
“Obviously it’s not great, but this is what we do. This business is insane. We’re fighting in front of millions of people in our underwear. There’s nothing more vulnerable than that.”
After his UFC career came to an end, Staman rightly thought he might be teetering on the brink of retirement.
Stamann dedicated 15 years of his life to MMA, but he was on the verge of retiring for good when he was drawn back to the sport.
“Basically, when I was released, I was in the gym and always thought something was going to happen,” Staman said. “At 145 pounds, I was really going to be able to make my case, and I was really stubborn about it. I really thought I could go right back and do it, because the UFC knows I’m a guy they can call in with three or four days’ notice. I’m in Vegas, I got through the medical check. When that didn’t happen, I was like okay, maybe it’s time to take the next step.”
“It went on for probably two weeks. Two weeks after that, my buddy Dan Ige was fighting a (Patricio) pit bull and they were like, ‘You’re exactly the same size as this guy,’ and I’ve been a pit bull for other people in the past. I need you in the gym. It’s important. I was like, ‘I’m going to go there.’ And my buddy Kai Kamaka, he’s fighting a guy my size, and I was like, ‘I’m just staying in the gym.’ Jim, let’s get into the scraps. I think I may have finished MMA in a few weeks, but MMA wasn’t the end for me. ”
Despite his determination to move forward with his career, Staman had to take a long, hard look at how his time in the UFC ended with all its ups and downs.
He started 5-1-1 through his first seven fights, ranked in the top 15 in the bantamweight rankings, and fought opponents such as future champion Aljamain Sterling and Song Yadong, one of the best fighters fighting at 135 pounds.
However, his desire to be more interesting actually came at the expense of Staman’s best strategy for winning most fights.
“I decided I wanted to be a kickboxer,” Staman said. “I didn’t want people to think I was boring. So I tried to fight on my feet more, when really the easiest path for me was always to beat people. Maybe I should have done more of that. That might be the only thing I actually regret.”
“I had a great time (in the UFC). I made a lot of money. I did a lot of great things and I have no regrets. I don’t think I’m done with this sport. I think I still have a lot to give to this sport.”
Staman will return to action Saturday at the Legends of Combat Show in his home state of Michigan, marking his first foray into the local scene since 2017.
Although it was humbling to return to his roots after fighting on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage in the UFC, Staman is grateful he still has a job and people still want to see him fight.
That being said, Staman has returned with a win, establishing himself as a threat at 145 pounds and targeting a potential appearance in another major promotion in 2026.
“I think I could literally walk up on any stage outside of the UFC and beat a 145-pound champion,” Staman said. “I don’t think that in my head. I’ve seen them in the gym, I’ve trained with them, I’ve trained with champions from other organizations, and I’m like, wow, is this guy the champion over there? I’m going to hoop this guy in the cage. It was easy for me in the gym, and I know I can do it in the cage.”
“I don’t think it’s over. I think I can become world champion in another organization within a year.”