Two tough bantamweights went a division up and battled it out at UFC Fight Island 1 with Jimmie Rivera defeating Cody Stamann by decision.
Bantamweights fighting at featherweight, a quirk of the coronavirus pandemic, were the middle fight of the UFC Fight Island 1 main card on Wednesday. That bout saw Jimmie Rivera looking to get back on track against the rising Cody Stamann, who had fought just a month earlier, earning a win against Brian Kelleher.
Both men had faced recent adversity outside the cage as well. Stamann had suffered the loss of his younger brother just days out from his previous fight. Rivera and his wife had both contracted COVID-19 earlier this year.
Rivera opened the fight with a big leg kick and they met in the center. After a brief feel out process in which Rivera missed a few leg kicks, Stamann closed the distance, but paid the price by eating a body shot and a big right hand. Stamann then caught a kick and turned it into a solid combination. seemingly right after that, Rivera did the same thing, knocking down Stamann after catching a kick. There was a clinch against the cage afterwards and Rivera nearly took him down, but Stamann reversed at the last second. He wasn’t able to secure the takedown, but he was able to control Rivera for a bit against the cage. The referee separated them and Rivera closed out the round with a big right hand and a leg kick.
Right away, Stamann threw Rivera to the ground but Rivera popped right back up. Stamann hung onto the back of Rivera, who eventually spun out and reversed position. Rivera turned this into a brief takedown. Stamann popped back up and was able to eventually separate after reversing position. The leg kicks from Rivera kept coming. late in the round, Stamann popped Rivera with a jumping knee and Rivera responded with a short left hook.
Stamann went for a takedown attempt early in the round and despite getting deep on the legs, was only able to drive him to the fence. Rivera reversed position, separated, then landed a left hand on the exit. Rivera landed a body punch as he was caught by a hook. Stamann ducked under a punch and again couldn’t take Rivera down. Rivera attempted a guillotine, but Stamann broke free. Rivera kept the pressure on with his striking after separating and he was able to ride out the victory.
Jimmie Rivera def. Cody Stamann by Unanimous Decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
