Brian Stann’s next UFC opponent announced
April 29th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Well that didn’t take long. Fresh off of knocking out Alessio Sakara on April 14 at UFC on FUEL TV 2 in Sweden, UFC boss Dana White tweeted Sunday that Stann’s next opponent will be Hector Lombard.
Lombard may not be a household name for casual MMA fans, but he does present a formidable opponent for Stann. Although Lombard will be making his UFC debut, he’s a seasoned fighter who is currently riding a 20-fight winning steak (dating back to 2007). Like Stann, Lombard has a reputation for heavy hands. You can see that for yourself below, as he knocks out UFC vet Jay Silva in SIX seconds in 2010.
The best news about this fight: It will be broadcast for free on network TV as part of UFC on FOX 4, according to MMAJunkie.com.
Byers, Mango lead strong military presence at Team USA wrestling trials
April 19th, 2012 | After Action Army Marine Corps Wrestling | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Dremiel Byers reacts after winning a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team at the U.S. trials in Las Vegas. He'll be grappling for a trip to the London games this weekend in Iowa City. (US Presswire photo by Marlene Karas)
The London Olympics are less than 100 days away, and while some military athletes have already punched their tickets (and keep checking here for new Army qualifiers), the trials have yet to start in earnest.
That changes this weekend in Iowa City. About 30 wrestlers with military affiliations will compete in the Greco-Roman and freestyle (men’s and women’s) tournaments to determine who’ll represent the U.S. on the mats. Click through for a quick guide for the once-every-four-years wrestling fan — the troops, the favorites, the story lines, the TV coverage and, of course, the flying squirrel.
Now slimmed down, former Navy lineman leads Marines in Afghanistan
April 18th, 2012 | Afghanistan Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Jeff Lenar, a former guard for the Navy football team, dropped some 50 pounds en route to becoming a Marine infantry officer. (James J. Lee/Staff)
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – Second Lt. Jeff Lenar is a long way from the bright lights of college football at the U.S. Naval Academy, and it took serious discipline to get there.
The infantry officer with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, leads 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, overseeing Marines in combat who patrol near the landmark Kajaki Dam in Helmand province. Since deploying early this year, he has led his platoon in raids into Taliban-held area and overseen surveillance missions used to collect information about insurgents.
His trip there was complicated: to join his fellow Marines, Lenar shed dozens of pounds from his 6-foot-4 frame. He was listed at about 270 pounds while on the team, but now weighs about 220, he said.
Lenar, 25, of Marietta, Ga., said he lost the weight in about six months before reporting to officer training at The Basic School, out of Quantico, Va.
“I went into it knowing I had to gain weight, and then that’d I’d have to take it off,” he said of playing college football.
As a Midshipman, Lenar provided depth at offensive guard, graduating in 2010. He reported to 1/8 in July 2011, and has been with the battalion since.
Stann wins: Now what?
April 16th, 2012 | Marine Corps UFC | Posted by Kevin Lilley
First, click below to see how former Marine Brian Stann put Alessio Sakara’s lights out after about 2 1/2 minutes of action Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of UFC on FUEL TV 2. Then, click through for four quick hits on the fight and Stann’s future:
9 things you need to know about Brian Stann’s UFC fight on Saturday
April 13th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Marine officer and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann is back in action in the UFC on Saturday night afternoon, where he’s set to fight Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL TV 2 in Stockholm, Sweden. Stann is looking to bounce back from loss to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136 in October, which ended a three-fight winning streak the Naval Academy grad. Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about this fight, and other things that aren’t as important.
1.You don’t need to pay to watch this fight.
This is a rare opportunity to see Stann and other high-level UFC fighters in action without ponying up big bucks or heading to the local sports bar. As the name implies, UFC on FUEL TV 2 isn’t a pay-per-view event. It’s on regular cable — if your regular cable includes FUEL TV. Check here to see if your provider carries the channel.
Big thing to remember: Because of the time change, the fight takes place during the afternoon here in the CONUS. Tune into FUEL at 2 p.m. Eastern for the pre-fight show, with the action scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
2. This is the UFC’s first event in Sweden.
It’s also the first time Stann has fought professionally outside the U.S. He said in this interview that he doesn’t worry much about fighting in a strange land after a long flight. Which would make sense, because he did a fair amount of that during his time in the Corps.
3. Don’t expect a repeat of the Stann-Sonnen fight.
Not a big fan of watching two guys roll around and battle for position on the ground? Then this is the fight for you.
Unlike Sonnen, who relentlessly attached himself to Stann en route to a second-round submission victory, Sakara is not a world-class wrestler. He comes from a boxing background, and much like Stann, Sakara prefers to duke it out rather than grapple. Seven of Sakara’s last nine fights have ended in either a KO or TKO — including three TKOs losses, which has caused some to question Sakara’s chin. That brings us to …
4. The oddsmakers see Stann winning, and they don’t expect it to be a long fight.
Stann’s a 4-1 favorite on one gambling website, which also gives almost even odds that Stann wins via knockout. But betting on sports is a bad habit, so use this information purely to enhance your viewing experience.
5. Sakara is coming off a major injury.
Another reason the odds are stacked against Sakara: He tore his ACL in July 2011 and hasn’t fought since a loss to Chris Weidman in March of that year. The knee injury was enough to make him consider quitting the sport before friends and family talked him back into it. Sakara says his knee is now 100 percent, of course, but it’ll be worth paying attention to how much confidence he has in that leg.
6. Stann’s pre-fight preparation was affected by a family tragedy.
For the first time in since 2008, Stann did not travel to New Mexico to do his pre-fight camp at world-famous trainer Greg Jackson’s gym.
After his brother-in-law died in December, Stann chose to train in Atlanta in order to be with his wife. It’s exactly they type of move you’d expect from Stann, who knows a little something about maintaining perspective. But it does mark a significant break from the pre-fight preparation he’s used to.
7. Stann REALLY needs to win this fight.
Yea, it’s cliche and you could say this about every fight, but in order to stay in the conversation as a possible title contender in the UFC’s middleweight division, Stann must beat Sakara.
Prior to the Sonnen fight, Stann had won three straight as a middleweight, working his way onto main PPV cards and climbing the ranks of the 185-pound division. But Sonnen’s lopsided win knocked Stann down a peg, and it will be a while before Stann gets a shot at either middleweight champion Anderson Silva or a rematch with Sonnen, who will try to dethrone Silva at UFC 147 in Brazil.
If Stann loses to Sakara, it will likely send him tumbling far out of 185-pound division’s top 10 and put him on the outside looking in as other middleweights get high-profile fights.
8. Sakara REALLY REALLY needs to win this fight.
While a loss would be a major setback for Stann, Sakara’s UFC career could be in jeopardy if he loses, especially by knockout. It’d be Sakara’s second straight loss to a top-tier 185-pound opponent, and the UFC is an unforgiving place for fighters who can’t get over the hump.
On the other hand, a win against a well-regarded middleweight like Stann could revitalize his career.
9. Sakara has a great beard.
Sure, he may be the underdog and he may be coming off of injury, but that thing has to increase his punching power and overall toughness.
On the flip side, Sakara is one of the most over-tattooed fighters in the UFC, which is saying something. Time spent getting (and recovering from) tattoos is time not spent in the gym. Advantage: Stann.
Coined by the Corps
April 9th, 2012 | Golf Marine Corps | Posted by Sean Smyth
You hear a lot about Amen Corner and all those other cool spots at Augusta National, home of the Masters. You don’t usually hear much about the sixth hole, a par-3 180-yard piece of work.
If you followed Twitter over the weekend, you may have. Noted ESPN writer Wright Thompson, who has written a bit about the course home to the green jacket, had an interesting encounter on No. 6.
Here are a couple of Thompson’s tweets:
[View the story "Marine Corps at the Masters" on Storify]
Semper Fi, indeed.
“The Marine” scores a first-round KO in Bellator debut
April 7th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Mike “The Marine” Richman’s first Bellator fight could not have been more impressive. Richman, a former Marine infantryman, appeared to barely break a sweat as he pounded veteran fighter Chris Horodecki into the canvas in round 1 at Bellator 64 in Windsor, Ontario.
After a crushing straight right hand 32 seconds into the fight, the Iraq War vet began picking apart a hurt Horodecki before putting him out of his misery at the 1:23 mark. Total domination:
Former Marine making Bellator debut on Friday
April 4th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Iraq War veteran Mike “The Marine” Richman fights Friday at Bellator 64 in Windsor, Ontario. It’s Richman’s first fight in the promotion, and he’ll be taking on Chris Horodecki (18-3) in the lightweight matchup.
Richman (11-1), gained attention in 2010 when he vied for a spot on The Ultimate Fighter 12 reality TV show. He fell short of making the house, but since then he’s 4-1 (with his only loss coming via split decision) and he signed a contract with Bellator earlier this year.
Richman, who left the service as a sergeant in 2008, deployed to Iraq three times between 2005 and 2007, according to the Marine Corps. He served as a rifleman with the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.
The four fights on the main card of Bellator 64 will be broadcast live on MTV2, but you can watch Richman’s scrap with Horodecki and the rest of the undercard live on Spike.com.
Stann: I’ll go toe-to-toe with Sakara
April 4th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
We’re 10 days out from Brian Stann’s fight with Alessio Sakara at UFC on FUEL TV 2 in Stockholm. The former Marine officer sat down for interview with folks at FUEL, and he had some interesting things to say about how he’ll a approach this fight given Sakara’s pro boxing background, as well as who he thinks will win when fellow middleweights Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva face off again at UFC 147.
MMA update: Marines bring combatives to the combat zone
March 14th, 2012 | Afghanistan Combatives Marine Corps | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Lance Cpl. Keith Silva, right, tries to take down Lance Cpl. Brett P. Schwindt during Saturday's ground-fighting tournament at Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan. Silva ended up taking top honors in the 180-to-199-pound weight class. (Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez)
Part March Madness. Part martial arts. Part bragging rights. Mostly, a morale boost for Marines in theater.
Marines assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, took out some war-zone stress and showed off their martial arts skills the last two Saturdays, competing in a ground-fighting tournament that organizers hope will build camaraderie within the unit.
Check out a full write-up and some more pics, all by Cpl. Alfred V. Lopez, here. According to the piece, the combatives exercises are just a part of the pseudo-Olympics set up by CLB 1. They’ve already had football, soccer and volleyball events, and they’re planning a strongman competition — probably without the keg toss or the refrigerator-strapped-on-your-back race, but you can’t rule anything out.
CLB 1 is on a seven-month deployment in Helmand province that began in late September.