Cody Stamann: Only a Matter of Time Before ‘Protected’ Sean O’Malley is Exposed

Despite making only two appearances inside the Octagon and not fighting for over a year, Sean O’Malley is fast becoming a household name in the UFC, but according to fellow bantamweight Cody Stamann, he’ll eventually be exposed.

“Sugar” makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 239 against Marlon Vera on July 6 with the 24-year-old’s last appearance all the way back at UFC 222 last March against Andre Soukhamthath in a fight he won after injuring his foot. O’Malley’s return was delayed after he was suspended for six months by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for ostarine in October.

Stamann was a guest on the latest edition of Bloody Elbow‘s “Pull No Punches” podcast and claiemd O’Malley’s hype train will come to a sudden halt when he faces a step up in competition.

“It makes sense,” Stamann said. “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 [and] all that stuff.

“I understand why and I don’t get bitter by it, but I’m speaking the truth,” Stamann added. “The kid is going to be protected. Anyone can see that he’s not fighting the guys I’m fighting. I fought the No. 8 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’s only UFC loss came against another highly-rated fighter in Aljamain Sterling at UFC 228 in September last year. The 29-year-old takes on Rob Font at UFC Greenville on June 22.