Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight Cody Stamann believes the Sean O’Malley hype train will come to a halt.
O’Malley is set to take on Marlon Vera at UFC 239 on July 6. Many believe this will be the toughest test in the 24-year-old’s professional mixed martial arts career. Even so, Stamann isn’t impressed with the matchmaking for “Sugar,” although he says he understands it.
Stamann Says O’Malley Will Eventually Be Exposed
Stamann was a guest on the latest edition of Bloody Elbow‘s “Pull No Punches” podcast. Stamann predicted a sharp decline in O’Malley’s stock:
“It makes sense. Sean O’Malley is obviously a bigger ticket seller than I am. I’m just a dumb country boy from Sparta. O’Malley’s really cool and he smokes pot and plays video games and that’s really cool. So more people want to watch him fight than watch me fight. He’s got cooler tattoos, all that stuff.
“I understand why and I don’t get bitter by it, but I’m speaking the truth. The kid is going to be protected. Anyone can see that he’s not fighting the guys I’m fighting. I fought the number eight guy in the world in my third UFC fight. He’s going to have an easier path, but that’s the great thing about MMA. Eventually, if you have a weakness and you’re a dork you’re going to get exposed. Eventually he’s going to have to fight somebody like me.”
Stamann will meet Rob Font at UFC Greenville on June 22. If Stamann pulls off a victory, it’ll be his second in a row.
