UFC Parts Ways With Former Title Contender In Latest Roster Purge

Dana White’s Contender Series, The Ultimate Fighter, and the replacement circuit have introduced a surge of talent into the UFC, resulting in a shorter tenure for struggling veterans like Cody Stamann.

On Thursday, February 27, 2025, Stamann, a former top-10 bantamweight contender, was among nine fighters released or not offered new contracts by the promotion. Stamann, 35 achieved a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the bantamweight division, with an initial UFC run where he secured victories in four of his first five bouts.

However, he faced challenges against elite competitors, recording losses to Aljamain Sterling, Jimmie Rivera, and current champion Merab Dvalishvili. His recent performance included three consecutive defeats to Douglas Silva de Andrade, Taylor Lapilus—who was also released—and Da’Mon Blackshear.

Notably, Stamann demonstrated his commitment by cutting short his honeymoon in 2024 to participate in what became his final UFC fight, a first-round submission loss to Blackshear.

The UFC’s roster adjustments also affected several other athletes. Lapilus, who handed Stamann one of his recent losses, was among those released. Matthew Semelsberger, Roosevelt Roberts, Natan Levy, Julio Arce, Josh Culibao, Nikolay Teretennikov and Jonathan Pearce were the others to be officially separated from the organization.

The decisions to cut established veteran who appear to be dwelling in that middling range reflect the organization’s ongoing efforts to refresh its lineup and make room for emerging talent from various development platforms.

The departure of experienced fighters like Stamann and Lapilus signifies a transitional phase within the bantamweight division. As the UFC continues to integrate new talent, opportunities arise for up-and-coming athletes to establish themselves.

Up Next for the UFC

The UFC is moving full steam ahead with events coming every week for the next seven weeks. Here is a look at the next three UFC cards highlighted by March 8 UFC 313. That event will feature UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira defended his title against Magomed Ankalaev.

UFC Vegas 103

• Date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
• Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Main Card: 7:00 PM ET | Prelims: 4:00 PM ET

Main Card (7:00 PM ET)

• Flyweight Bout: Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev
• Middleweight Bout: Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez
• Lightweight Bout: Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Featherweight Bout: William Gomis vs. Hyder Amil
• Welterweight Bout: Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson

Preliminary Card (4:00 PM ET)

• Heavyweight Bout: Austen Lane vs. Mário Pinto
• Featherweight Bout: Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal
• Bantamweight Bout: Douglas Silva de Andrade vs. John Castañeda
• Featherweight Bout: Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva
• Women’s Flyweight Bout: Andrea Lee vs. JJ Aldrich
• Flyweight Bout: Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov
• Women’s Flyweight Bout: Montana De La Rosa vs. Luana Carolina

UFC 313

• Date: Saturday, March 8, 2025
• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Main Card: 10:00 PM ET | Prelims: 8:00 PM ET | Early Prelims: 6:00 PM ET

Main Card (10:00 PM ET)

• Light Heavyweight Championship Bout: Alex Pereira (C) vs. Magomed Ankalaev
• Lightweight Bout: Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev
• Lightweight Bout: Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes
• Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos vs. Iasmin Lucindo
• Lightweight Bout: King Green vs. Mauricio Ruffy

Preliminary Card (8:00 PM ET)

• Heavyweight Bout: Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
• Middleweight Bout: Brunno Ferreira vs. Armen Petrosyan
• Welterweight Bout: Alex Morono vs. Carlos Leal

Early Preliminary Card (6:00 PM ET)

• Featherweight Bout: Mairon Santos vs. Francis Marshall
• Middleweight Bout: Djorden Santos vs. Ozzy Diaz
• Flyweight Bout: Joshua Van vs. Rei Tsuruya

UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2

• Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
• Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
• Main Card: 7:00 PM ET | Prelims: 4:00 PM ET

Main Card (7:00 PM ET)

• Middleweight Bout: Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze
• Welterweight Bout: Chidi Njokuani vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
• Featherweight Bout: Choi Seung-woo vs. Kevin Vallejos
• Lightweight Bout: Alexander Hernandez vs. Kurt Holobaugh
• Bantamweight Bout: Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Cody Gibson
• Bantamweight Bout: You Su-young vs. AJ Cunningham

Preliminary Card (4:00 PM ET)

• Heavyweight Bout: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Ryan Spann
• Strawweight Bout: Stephanie Luciano vs. Sam Hughes
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Bantamweight Bout: Carlos Vera vs. Josias Musasa
• Flyweight Bout: Daniel Barez vs. Andre Lima
• Bantamweight Bout: Josiane Nunes vs. Priscila Cachoeira
• Lightweight Bout: Evan Elder vs. MarQuel Mederos
• Flyweight Bout: Yuneisy Duben vs. Carli Judice