Exclusive: Cody Stamann surprised why this Bantamweight star didn’t fight Petr Yan for vacant title

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Cody Stamann backed Aljamain Sterling as one of the best in the UFC during a recent interview

UFC star Cody Stamann was speaking exclusively to WERMMA after his recent bout at Fight Island.

While the clash didn’t go his way as Stamann lost to Jimmie Rivera but he took it up on short notice. The American wasn’t too fazed with that loss and saw it as a stepping stone after going up against one of the best in the division.

ufc 250 stamman v kelleher scaled
Cody Stamman celebrates after his victory over Brian Kelleher in their featherweight bout during UFC 250 (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Stamann is ranked #9 in the Bantamweights and was also asked about the quality of the division. He was asked if Aljamain Sterling was the No.1 contender for new champion Petr Yan.

Yan beat Jose Aldo to win the vacant belt, however, Dana White has been coy on naming Sterling as the next challenger.

Sterling has been vocal about getting a shot and even Yan has accepted that. Stamann had a lot of great things to say about Sterling and was surprised why he didn’t face Yan for the title:

“I agree. I think Aljamain Sterling is the, honestly, I think he is the best guy in the world. I’m surprised he didn’t fight Petr Yan for the title in the first place.

“Petr Yan is no slouch either, he is going to be a tough guy to beat but he takes a lot of damage in fights too and that’s not the greatest way to fight.”

Not an easy fighter to face

Stamann faced Sterling at UFC 228 but was on the end of a loss. However, the American added that Sterling was extremely tough to face and even called him as the best grappler in the division.

Stamann also believed that Sterling was getting better. He added that his fellow Bantamweight star is now finishing off opponents in the first round.

Cory Sandhagen fainted against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 250
Aljamain Sterling attempts to secure a rear choke submission against Cory Sandhagen in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 250 event at UFC APEX on June 06, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

While Yan vs Sterling would be an amazing clash, Stamann is hopeful of returning to action before the end of the year.

The 30-year-old has an MMA record of 19-3-1 and was on a three-fight unbeaten run before suffering the loss to Rivera.

This is an exclusive interview from WERMMA. For more exclusive interviews and content please follow the link.

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