Cody Stamann vs. Jimmie Rivera is late addition to July 15 UFC event
Better late than never.
A matchup between ranked bantamweights Cody Stamann and Jimmie Rivera is being added to the July 15 card on “Fight Island.” First reported by Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, the bout was put together just eight days before the event in Abu Dhabi.
Much like in Stamann’s last performance, he will fight a fellow bantamweight at the 145 pound limit. He most recently defeated Brian Kelleher via unanimous decision at UFC 250 on June 6. The victory came weeks after Stamann’s 18-year-old brother, Jacob, passed away.
The 30-year-old re-entered the win column in June after receiving a draw against Yadon Song at UFC on ESPN 7 this past December.
Rivera takes the fight after recently telling ESPN he and his wife, Samantha, tested positive for COVID-19 back in April.
Rivera last fought over a year ago. He lost via unanimous decision to Petr Yan at UFC 238 in June 2019, making him 1-3 in his last four octagon appearances.
His three most recent defeats came against Yan, Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Moraes, all currently ranked in the top three of the division.
The July 15 card has taken a number of hits to the lineup in recent days. Pedro Munhoz, Vinicius Moreira and Anderson dos Santos all tested positive for the coronavirus, removing them from the card.
