RIO DE JANEIRO – Cody Stamann beat Luan Lacerda with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 283 at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
Take a look inside the fight with Stamann, who won for the second straight time after a three-fight skid.
Luan Lacerda vs. Cody Stamann
Result: Cody Stamann def. Luan Lacerda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Stamann (21-5-1 MMA, 7-4-1 UFC), Lacerda (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Staman won the striking battle 108-85 and landed 55 percent of his total strikes.
Stamann on the fight's key moment
“I honestly thought I’d be out of there in a round. I really did. I thought I’d get Luan out of there. He kept his defense pretty tight. I was having a hard time landing the big, big shots on him. When I did hit him with something I thought would faze him, the son of a b*tch just walked me back down and started f*cking chucking kicks and body punches at me. It was a war of attrition.”
Stamann on fighting in hostile territory
“I f*cking loved it. When I was walking out, there was a bunch of people going blatantly crazy, screaming at me as I was walking out. I was like, ‘F*ck you!’ I loved it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. … You’ve got to give it back to them and let them know, ‘I don’t give a sh*t about you’ and just smear it in their noses, and that’s just how I approached (the Brazilian fans’ hostility).
“But to be honest, the Brazilian people as a whole, and the Brazilian people – beautiful. I love this place. I love it. It’s a beautiful, beautiful place.”
Stamann on what he wants next
“I’m ready for everybody – anyone. I’ve fought more guys in the f*cking top 10 than half the guys in the top 10. I fought (bantamweight champion) Aljamain Sterling my third or fourth UFC fight. I was in the top 10 in six months. I think people forget how much experience I have in this division.
“I was going to call out Pedro Munhoz after the fight, but I also heard right before the fight that he has another opponent. … I don’t know who it’s going to be, but I’d like to start putting my name in the hat for some real sh*t. It can be an exciting fight. It can be a veteran. But I want to fight legit motherf*ckers. I want to fight people that are well known – could be the best dudes in the world. Tonight, I proved I’m capable of fighting anybody. …
“One fight that stands out more than any is Merab (Dvalishvili). I know I can beat that motherf*cker. I was hot. Everything was perfect. I was going to whoop him. And I went out there and I was just flat. … When I got done with that fight, I was like, ‘I just pissed away such a big opportunity.’ I could be sitting where he’s sitting right now.”
To hear more from Stamann, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.
