Now that’s a head scratcher.

Seven fighters have been removed from the UFC’s active roster in the past 24 hours and appear to be done with the promotion, UFC Roster Tracker and other services noted on Thursday. In addition to Stamann and Lapilus, Matthew Semelsberger, Mashrabjon Ruziboev, Jonathan Pearce, Julio Arce, and Josh Culibao are also gone from the promotion.

In the case of Lapilus, a French fighter who is 6-2 overall through two stints with the company, the move is downright puzzling. Lapilus went 3-1 under the UFC banner from 2015 to 2016, and was a released off a win (or simply not re-signed), going on to find success with ARES FC.

After winning the ARES bantamweight championship in 2022, Lapilus made a triumphant return to the UFC as part of the promotion’s return to Paris in September of 2023. This second four-fight stint saw the French star earn wins over Caolan Loughran, Vince Morales, and Cody Stamann. He’s currently on a two-fight win streak, but nevertheless appears to be on the outs with the UFC for the time being.

Fans were not happy with Taylor Lapilus situation.

While Lapilus has now had eight fights in the UFC, Mashrabjon Ruziboev had zero. He was briefly linked to a fight with Jared Gordon this month, but withdrew due to issues with his weight cut.

Matthew Semelsberger, a.k.a. “Semi the Jedi,” started his UFC run 4-1, but ends it on a four-fight skid with a record of 5-6 overall inside the octagon. As for Jonathan Pearce, the once-promising featherweight was on a three-fight skid, and 5-4 overall in the promotion.

The post Stamann, Lapilus Among Seven Fighters Exiting UFC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both fighters entered on two-fight skids, with Stamann on the final fight of his UFC deal.

A key question to this matchup was how Blackshear would use his 4-inch height and 7.5-inch reach advantages. Coming in as a moderate -260 betting favourite, he was expected to make the most out of them.

Round one started with both fighters content to spend the first two minutes in a feeling out process. Blackshear tried to make use of his length with kicks, while Stamann used forward blitzes to close the distance. While both fighters looking to apply forward pressure, they used different weapons to counter said pressure. Stamann focused on counter left hooks, while Blackshear punished Stamann’s blitzes with knees.

Once Blackshear successfully pushed Stamann to the fence, he used a flying knee following by a flurry with his hands to ground him. With Stamann rocked, he tried to shoot a takedown and during the scramble, Blackshear found a mounted guillotine. Stamann impressively managed to survive the guillotine attempt, but Blackshear wasn’t satisfied with keeping mount and grappled his way to Stamann’s back instead. He ultimately locked a rear-naked choke that forced a tap in the last minute of the round.

This spectacular first round finish is exactly what the doctor ordered for Da’Mon Blackshear as he might have been fighting for his job tonight. Stamann almost certainly was, and on an 0-3 skid with losses to Blackshear, Douglas Silva de Andrade and Taylor Lapilus, his time in the company may be at an end.

Official result: Da’Mon Blackshear def. Cody Stamann by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:19

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“I was fishing on a boat in the mountains in California when I got the call at like six, seven weeks. So the honeymoon got cut a little short,” Stamann (21-7-1) told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “Hopefully we can celebrate a little more after the fight, but I literally went from enjoying my life, my family here, my friends here to a week later, like ‘alright, time to get into fight camp.’ But it was good, I was ready. I like the gym, I like training, and I’d been out of the gym for a few days. I was actually ready to get back; it was a nice little break, I think I needed it.”

Stamann enters UFC Vegas 100 on the last fight of his current deal, with his back against the wall. The 34-year old nicknamed “The Spartan” made his UFC debut in 2017, immediately embarking on a three-fight win streak that led to a fight with future champ Aljamain Sterling. Submitted by a rarely seen Suloev stretch, Stamann then bounced back with another three-fight unbeaten streak, this time including a draw against top contender Song Yadong.

Recent fights haven’t gone in Stamann’s favor, however. He’s 2-5 in his last seven, and although that includes a loss to current champ Merab Dvalishvili, Stamann has lost two straight, something he acknowledges is not a good spot to be in with a contract up for renewal.

“I put myself between a rock and a hard place. Last fight on my contract, on a skid, I’ve got to get the job done. There’s nothing else to it,” admitted Stamann. “So I’m leaving no stone unturned, doing everything I can to be physically and mentally ready.”

Stamann has a history of coming up with game plans tailored to specific opponents, and feels he had a good one heading into his last fight, against Taylor Lapilus. “And then I got in a fight and didn’t do anything I was supposed to do,” Stamann observed. “I just didn’t fight with a very high Fight IQ. Now this time, if there’s one thing I’ve changed, it’s like I’m just focused on me. Everything’s been really just me trying to be the sharpest version of myself. I don’t really know what Da’Mon Blackshear is going to bring into the cage.”

Blackshear, who is 2-3-1 overall in the UFC, enters UFC Vegas 100 on his own two-fight skid.

“I feel like at the end of the day, we’re both in a do or die situation and it’s just going to be a scrap,” predicted Stamann. “It’s going to be about who wants it more, and when push comes to shove, I’ve been here a long time and there’s a reason for that. It’s because when the chips are down and I’m in a tough place, I’ll gut it out and make it happen.”

Watch our full interview with UFC Vegas 100 bantamweight Cody Stamann above.

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Both fighters were looking to return to the win column after dropping their last outing, with Stamann seeing a two-fight win streak snapped against Doulas Silva de Andrade just over a year ago.

The fight started off with Stamann landing a solid body kick. A few seconds later and Cody was able to land a leg kick before Lapilus countered with a straight punch of his own. Lapilus was continually probing with his lead hand constantly touching the lead hand of Stamann. A couple of minutes into the bout, and the action is stopped when Stamann is brushed by an open hand to the eye. When the action resumed, Stamann looked for a takedown which ultimately ended with a sustained clinch against the cage. With a couple of minutes left in the round the two fighters separated and Lapilus was able to land a good body kick before Cody again looked for a takedown. With a minute left in the round, the two fighters were exchanging with Lapilus finding the mark with short knee to the body, multiple times. The round ends with some solid exchanges in the center of the cage.

To open round two, Stamann was trying to stay active throwing long strikes and darting in, trying to combat the reach of his opponent. Lapilus began to land the jab at will on Cody, before the two men again end up in a clinch against the side of the octagon. As the two men returned to open space, Stamann counited to look for a way to get into range staying light on his feet attempting to land that overhand right.

Mid way thru the round and Lapilus is looking comfortably in control landing a body kick and stopping a shot from his opponent in return. The two men were again briefly tied up against the cage before landing some short strikes and separating. On the break, Lapilus landed a kick to the cup and there was a momentary break in the action.

When the fight resumed, Taylor went right back to the long-measured jab and continued to do an excellent job at keeping his opponent out of range. Stamann was able to back Lapilus to the cage with long punches and scoop up a single leg. Cody worked for the takedown till 15 seconds left on the clock but was met with some solid combos from his opponent till the end of the round.

At the start of the final round, Stamann landed a body kick that is answered by a swiftmulti punch combo. Cody then lands a leg kick that momentarily floored his opponent. Staying on the offensive, Stamann pressured his opponent and then shot a well-timed takedown, finally getting his opponent to the ground. With three minutes left in the round, Cody is on top in half guard with an arm of his opponent’s trapped. Lapilus was able to kick off of the fence and escape the position with Stamann initiating a clinch against the cage momentarily. With 90 seconds left in the fight, Stamann has his hands down and is using nice head movement to evade punches. Stamann is continuing to come forward, but Lapilus was comfortably slipping punches and returning at will as the final time expires.

Official Result: Taylor Lapilus def. Cody Stamann by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Stamann was looking for his third straight win, after notching back-to-back victories over Eddie Wineland and Luan Lacerda. Silva de Andrade had won two himself, before running into Said Nurmagomedov last time out.

Silva de Andrade began the fight showing Stamann his kicking threat with a few leg kicks and switch kicks to the body. That didn’t prevent Stamann from putting on the forward pressure though. The Brazilian was the one who was having the striking success early on, connecting with a few heavy calf kicks and body shots. The American tried to get his striking going with boxing combo’s from head to body, but was struggling to land anything of note.

Douglas Silva de Andrade despite fighting on the back-foot was having a lot of success with his calf kicks and it resulted in Stamann deciding to try and get the fight to the ground. An illegal up-kick by the Brazilian saw the ref stop the action after Stamann gained top control, but the ref didn’t take a point, and didn’t give Stamann his position back. To close out the round, Silva de Andrade landed a spinning back-fist, finishing the round on top.

Round two again began with Silva de Andrade once again firing out heavy calf kicks, but the threat of Cody Stamann’s wrestling had now been put out there from round one. Just after a minute and a half of round one had gone by when Stamann attempted a takedown, but Silva de Andrade stuffed it well. After connecting with the calf kick throughout, Silva de Andrade went up top and almost connected with a big head-kick at the halfway mark of round two. Forward pressure continued from Stamann with the Brazilian visibly starting to slow down. Despite that, a second wind was gained and some more kicking success saw Silva de Andrade land a few more heavy kicks. With just 20 seconds left of round two, Stamann attempted another takedown, but to no avail.

Round three began with more feints and kicks from the 37-year-old, but Stamann began working his way into range with combo’s instead of looking for one big shot. A minute and a half into the final round and Stamann threw out another crisp fast combo, backing up Silva de Andrade further. Shortly after, Stamann landed back-to-back huge left hooks, dropping Silva de Andrade twice. Somehow the veteran survived but found himself on the ground with Stamann gaining top control. Silva de Andrade managed to get back to his feet but looked extremely fatigued and vulnerable, as Stamann continued landing boxing combinations. Somehow, the fight made it to the scorecards, with the Brazilian getting the nod.

What a war between these two 👏 #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/h5c1cw95wS

— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023

Official Result: Douglas Silva de Andrade def. Cody Stamann via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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In his case, the bantamweight was paired up with a staple of the division in Cody Stamann — a tough out for any debuting fighter. Too tough, as it turned out.

To start the fight there was a lot of movement from Stamann but Lacerda landed a few heavy leg kicks. Lacerda kept firing those kicks on the outside to the leg and to the body. Stamann was fighting in bursts but wasn’t landing anything. Lacerda did attempt a single leg but it didn’t come close. Lacerda continued to land body kicks which was frankly the best weapon of the round. Stamann got more comfortable at the end but maybe not enough.

In round two more body kicks came from Lacerda. Stamann was the more explosive fighter and faster and he got off on some shots. Lacerda started to open up with combinations going to the body and head. Stamann was always trying to return; he was landing with more pop at times. A lot of good bodywork from both guys was on display in round two. Lacerda more and more was starting to find his right cross and ended the round with some good body strikes. A much better round for Stamann.

In the final round Lacerda was the first one to engage with a nice combination. Stamann was still moving around deep in the fight landing and evading. Stamann landed some nice takedowns. Stamann did not see it coming when Lacerda shot in on a takedown, and he completed it. Stamann got right back up, but went right back down. On his back a little longer this time, Stamann eventually got back to his feet and got center cage. In the final minute Lacerda landed a few good body kicks. A strong round three for Lacerda.

Official Result: Cody Stamann def. Luan Lacerda by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Luan Lacerda
Standing at Five-foot-seven
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
30-years-old
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Training out of Nova Uniao
A pro record of 12-1
10 Submissions

How will Lacerda fare in the UFC:

I am surprised to see Lacerda brought in to fight Stamann but not surprised to see him signed. Usually, when the UFC signs Brazilians outside the Contender Series it’s out of left-field signings. This one is a home run with Lacerda. Lacerda trains out of Nova Uniao and has been training a lot with Jose Aldo. Lacerda fought his last two fights for LFA which has brought him exposure on a bigger platform. Before that he was the Shooto Brasil champion which is a huge title to win in Brazil.

Lacerda is a BJJ black belt and has an 83.33% submission rate. His striking has been expanding over time and it’s quite good. He used his time in a high-level gym to grow his abilities. Lacerda throws good straight punches, goes to the body, and throws a lot of kicks. He’s done a great job sticking to what he’s good at and that’s Jiu-Jitsu. Lacerda can strike to mix it up but always goes to his grappling.

Lacerda has good wrestling but a lot of time you will see him grab a leg and flop to his back. He’s so confident in his Jiu-Jitsu he’s fine with going to his back. From there he will attack submissions, create scrambles, and execute sweeps. I’m usually fully against that but when your grappling is that good you can fight like that. Lacerda can quickly go from on his back to on his opponent’s back in seconds. You can’t ask for better Jiu-Jitsu.

I really like this signing and even in a crowded division, he stands out. He may not be top 15 ever but he’s right outside that. With a litter more growth on the feet, he would be a huge problem.

How he matches up with Stamann:

When the fight was announced I thought right away Stamann was too much too soon for Lacerda. After going over the tape Stamann has his work cut out for him.

Stamann is primarily a wrestler but does need to steer away from that in this fight. On the feet, Stamann does fair work. He knocked out Eddie Wineland but that’s an older guy with a weaker chin. A sharp technical striker with a lot of movement would give Lacerda issues and that’s not Stamann. I see Lacerda landing the more significant strikes on the feet and frustrating Stamann with a lot of kicks.

Stamann probably is able to take this fight down and there is a chance he can just hold him down. I’ll bank on the fact Lacerda will sweep or scramble every time his back hits the mat and wins positions. Stamann has lost to other grapplers before and I think he does again here. I like the underdog here as I think this is a bad match-up for Stamann.

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In short, the fight felt like a loser leaves town match, with Stamann having lost three straight, and veteran Wineland four of his last five.

In Stamann’s favor, if you believe in such things, he opened as the biggest betting favorite on the UFC Austin card. He proved why early, dropping Wineland and rocking him with a follow-up elbow. Wineland made it back to his feet, but was under fire, and Stamann dropped him again! Wineland, again, got up, only to eat a hellacious elbow, as Stamann poured it on. Stamann unleashed a storm of lefts and rights, battering Wineland, mixing in knees, and hitting the mark seemingly at will. Wineland tried in vain to roll with the punches and fight back, swinging once or twice — but ultimately the ref had seen enough.

For the second fight in a row at UFC Austin, the action was stopped with the loser still on their feet — but not even close to being in the fight.

Back-to-back-to-back 🤯

That's 3️⃣ FINISHES IN A ROW! #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/IrMq1V6DzR

— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2022

“I feel like I’ve been firing on four cylinders, and I’m a V8,” Stamann told Daniel Cormier after the fight. “Honestly, I don’t know who can beat me. Honest to God.”

“I can go again in two weeks, anyone, any time, anywhere. I’m down,” Stamann added.

Official Result: Cody Stamann def. Eddie Wineland by TKO, Round 1, 0:59

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Looking to pull out of a tailspin, 135lb’er Cody Stamann (19-5-1) will face veteran Eddie Wineland (24-15-1) at the event. Iridium Sports Agency, who manage Stamann, announced the news on Friday.

The fight could be key for the continued careers of both fighters, who have been struggling of late.

For Stamann, the fight is an opportunity to snap-fight skid dating back to July 2020. While facing some stiff competition, the NCAA Division II wrestler dropped bouts to Jimmie Rivera, Merab Dvalishvili, and Said Nurmagomedov. The Nurmagomedov loss, his most recent, found Stamann caught in a guillotine choke in less than a minute.

Eddie Wineland has been on a similar rough patch of late, posting a 1-4 record in his last five fights. He’s lost two straight, finished by KO/TKO by both Sean O’Malley and John Castaneda.

The UFC’s June 18, 2022 event does not yet have a venue, location, or broadcast plan officially announced. The following bouts have been reported for the card thus far:

• Julian Marquez vs. Wellington Turman
• Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn
• Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus
• Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Natália Silva
• Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze
• JP Buys vs. Cody Durden
• Cody Stamann vs. Eddie Wineland

The post Cody Stamann and Eddie Wineland Set to Tango on UFC’s June 18 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I can’t show all my tools because fight was too short,” Nurmagomedov said through a translator at his post-fight media scrum.

Nurmagomedov (15-2) was able to secure a quick guillotine finish over Stamann (19-5) after the American shot in for a takedown. It wasn’t exactly what Nurmagomedov had planned to do but it’s what he was able to secure.

“I was prepared for all three rounds, but I used moment and finished him.”

As for what is next Nurmagomedov would like one more bout before Ramadan which lasts from April 2nd to May 2nd.

“I want to fight before Ramadan. I am ready to be back soon. I also heard tournament is going to be in Brooklyn April 8th and I wish to fight there. I talk about Chito Vera before and any type of opponent.”

During the lead up to the fight Stamann had said that he believed American wrestler were superior to Dagestani wrestlers which made Nurmagomedov chuckle.

“Actually I am not wrestler. I am kickboxer. I think if we wrestled with him my wrestling would surprise him.”

All that being said finishing the fight by submission was surprising for fans who have seen him fight before but Said wanted to show something new in this bout.

“Every time I fight I want to show people something new. Last fight finished by knockout, this fight submission, next fight something else.”

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