Even if their fight were rebooked, Rob Font isn’t so sure Cody Stamann would make it to the bout, he told reporters this week.
Washington, D.C. — One thing could not be any more clear during UFC DC’s Fight Week: Rob Font is not happy about the Cody Stamann fight falling through.
Appearing at this week’s media day with his two dogs in tow, Font (16-4) returned to the topic of Stamann several times. Asked about it or not. As a refresher, the pair were supposed to fight over the summer. Stamann pulled out due to injury. Now, they’re fighting on the same card, but not against one another. Font gets Ricky Simon. Stamann is fighting Song Yadong.
Asked directly about Stamann, Font told media outlets including Cageside Press that “I knew that he didn’t want the fight from the beginning. He’s claiming this kid he’s fighting [Song] is the next big thing. Which he is good, don’t get it twisted, but he doesn’t have this Conor McGregor effect or this big buzz about him that he’s claiming.”
Stamann didn’t want the fight, Font reiterated. And as to whether he’d still be interested in facing Stamann down the road, Font wasn’t so sure. “Honestly, I don’t think he can make it to the fight,” he said. “Somehow he’s injured, next week he’s fine. I don’t think he’ll make it to the fight. If the fight happens, it’s cool, I wouldn’t mind putting him away. But I’m not stressing him.”
Asked about Ricky Simon having similar buzz to Song Yadong, and whether Urijah Faber knocking him out killed that off, it wasn’t long before Font was back on Stamann. “Cody goes out there, he gets put away, nobody’s talking about him no more. It is what it is. The kid’s good, but Cody’s boring. He’s a boring fighter. I just wanted to fight him because that was the name that was thrown at. It wasn’t a vendetta against him, or a huge opportunity.”
Stamann, leading up to this weekend, has actually called Song’s hype into question. To be fair, however, most see the fight as an opportunity. Not Font. “What’s he going to get, like paid more money if he wins this fight? It’s not like he’s going to get a title shot. How is this a huge opportunity? It doesn’t make any sense. We had the fight booked already. He’s fighting, I believe he’s ranked 13 or something like that. Alright, cool, whatever. Do your thing, have fun with it. Just keep your chin tucked, because that boy can hit.”
Finally getting away from Stamann for a moment, Font, the 10th ranked bantamweight in the UFC, addressed opponent Simon’s loss to Faber. “You lose to a legend like that, the way he did, it was real quick too. He got caught early, got put away, but Faber’s an O.G. He’s been around, he’s seen it all. There was nothing Ricky was going to throw at him that he hadn’t seen, and it just wasn’t his night.”
If both men come out of UFC DC with a win, the UFC might be wise to book a rematch. But if it falls through again, Font’s pups may actually serve as therapy dogs.
Watch the full UFC DC media day scrum with Rob Font above!
