Preview: UFC 270 ‘Ngannou vs. Gane’

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Bantamweights

NR | Said Nurmagomedov (14-2, 3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Cody Stamann (19-4-1, 5-3-1 UFC)

ODDS: Nurmagomedov (-200), Stamann (+170)

Stamann may not be the most spectacular fighter, but he is one of the tougher outs in a deep bantamweight division. “The Spartan” was not a high-profile signing ahead of his UFC debut in 2017, but after winning his first Octagon assignment against Terrion Ware, Stamann immediately put everyone on notice with wins over top prospect Tom Duquesnoy and steady veteran Bryan Caraway. However, Aljamain Sterling managed to halt Stamann’s momentum with little issue, which gave way to the Michigan native finding a clear level. Stamann is a well-rounded fireplug of a fighter, which means he can find his way to a win over most of his competition, but against the top talents in the division—particularly athletes who can neutralize his wrestling—his lack of finishing ability leaves him with few paths to a victory. After he held serve for most of the last few years, losses to Jimmie Rivera and Merab Dvalishvili do leave Stamann having to prove himself a bit here, as he is on prospect-testing duty against Nurmagomedov.

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The 29-year-old—who is of no blood relation to Khabib Nurmagomedov and his family—has remained under the radar thus far in his UFC career, mostly due to a combination of inactivity and fighting on the prelims. The Russian’s UFC debut was not particularly inspiring, as he narrowly beat Justin Scoggins in what now seems to have been an ill-advised move down to flyweight. He has looked much better in his bantamweight appearances. Nurmagomedov is a rangy striker who typically has enough anti-wrestling tools in his arsenal to keep his fights where he is at his most comfortable. A 2019 loss to Raoni Barcelos did show that an aggressive athlete is capable of taking down Nurmagomedov and working his way to a victory, but his other two UFC bouts at bantamweight have seen him easily take advantage of opponents on the feet, as he quickly knocked out Ricardo Ramos and Mark Striegl. Stamann is stout enough that it would be a surprise if Nurmagomedov scored a finish, but it is unclear how much of Barcelos’ gameplan the American can replicate. Stamann is certainly a strong enough wrestler to get Nurmagomedov to the mat, but getting there might be an adventure. Stamann is smaller and slower than Barcelos, and his approach is much steadier and counter-oriented than the Brazilian’s consistent aggressive attack. Also, it is unclear how much Stamann can leverage his takedowns into control time or damage, which might be important if Nurmagomedov clearly separates himself as the better fighter on the feet. Stamann could just turn this into a one-sided grind, but Nurmagomedov does seem to have the right combination of potency and athleticism to be favored, especially since the Russian has continued to fill out physically with this full-time move to bantamweight. In a well-matched fight, the pick is for Nurmagomedov to take a close decision.

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