Cody Stamann admits he didn't feel excited at all to return to fighting after his UFC departure, but he's warming up.
After 15 fights during which he compiled a 7-7-1 record, Stamman (28-8-1) was not re-signed when his contract ended in November 2024. At 35, it was a tough pill to swallow.
"It was a pretty humbling experience going from – you know, going backwards," Stamann recently told MMA Junkie. "Let's, let's be honest, it is – it's what it is."
Not one to sugarcoat anything, Stamann said he considers himself one of the more rational fighters in the MMA landscape. He doesn't plan to fight forever, but what he discovered over the past year is that there is still something to fight for.
"I went home for my brother's wedding, and like the reception I got from all the people in my hometown was just incredible," Stamann said. "Everybody was super excited. I mean, this was a few weeks ago. Everyone's like, 'Man, I can't wait for your flight.' I kind of forgot where I'm from, I'm the man – and it felt good. I got really excited after that."
Stamann's family and friends have the chance to see him compete within driving distance Saturday when he battles Shawn Tarlton (5-3) at Legends of Combat 5 in Muskegon, Mich. Stamann is excited to fight in front of them – and admits his passion is returning.
"I don't know that I've felt this way in quite a bit," Stamann said. "I went from kind of really loving the sport to it becoming a job, and then you don't love it quite the same way you did when you were climbing the hill. … I kind of fell in love with the sport again. I remembered why I chose to walk this path 10 years ago."
So what's the motivation for Stamann? What's his career outlook? Stamann isn't totally sure, but he's willing to see where his journey takes him.
"I'm a pretty smart dude and I can make money doing a lot of things," Stamann said. "I had a successful construction business before I got in the UFC. I can make money doing a lot of other things. I have short term rental properties. At first, I was like, 'You know what? We made a little money in the UFC. I've invested it well. It's time to move on. Then, it was like one after another of my buddies were getting in a training camp, like Dan Ige fighting 'Pitbull' and I'm like, 'Well, I gotta be there for Dan.' … Then Kai Kamaka got a fight coming up and I'm in the gym. Then I was like, 'You know what, if I'm gonna be in the gym this much, I might as well get into a fight.'"
Admittedly having cut too much weight throughout his career, Stamann has decided to move to featherweight going forward. He isn't solely focused on the UFC as he once was. Living in Las Vegas and training at Xtreme Couture, Stamann said he'd jump at a short-notice opportunity if the stars aligned. However, the prospect of making some waves in PFL also really interests him.
"If I get to choose right now, like, 'OK, you could go fight in the UFC at 145 pounds or you could go fight in PFL tournament.' I would honestly probably pick the PFL tournament.I would probably wanna fight in that tournament. The competition isn't as good, and it's more money in a shorter amount of time. The place I'm at in my career, like that makes more sense for me, you know what I mean? Like, let's make a bunch of money and walk away from this sh*t. If I bang out a couple of fights and the UFC comes calling, I would be, you know, absolutely thrilled."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Former UFC standout decides against retirement, hopes for PFL
