MMA notes: Main event for Stann card, Bisping on Kennedy
January 11th, 2012 | Combatives Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Before we bring you a few notes on military-related mixed martial arts, a brief foreign policy discussion from Strikeforce middleweight contender and Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy:
@dominicanlou84 @brianstann they are dumb.
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 4, 2012
You want to argue with him?
1. ‘The Count’ strikes back: In addition to foreign policy, Kennedy also weighed in on fiscal responsibility recently, saying last month that UFC middleweight Michael “The Count” Bisping was overpaid for his Dec. 3 knockout over Jason “Mayhem” Miller at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Bisping reportedly pocketed more than $400,000 for dispatching Miller, who reportedly got $45,000.
Asked about Kennedy’s comments about three minutes into this video, the UFC fighter in 60 seconds manages to (a) pretend he doesn’t know who Kennedy is, (b) remind viewers that Miller defeated Kennedy in 2007, and (c) tell the former Special Forces soldier to “go out there, win some fights, and people might give a damn about what he says.”
Bisping fights Demian Maia on Jan. 28 as part of UFC on Fox 2. Kennedy’s dance card is clear at the moment.
2. Stann in semi-main spot: Our good friends at MMAJunkie.com report that UFC on FUEL TV 2, which will feature former Marine Brian Stann, has a main event: Alexander Gustafsson (15-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (20-5). The main draw isn’t a surprise: Gustafsson is a rising Swedish star, and the April 14 card takes place in Stockholm. Stann (11-4) appears set for semi-main status in his fight against Alessio Sakara (15-8).
3. Big up-and-comer Three-time Army Combatives Champion Brandon Sayles is due for some national exposure Feb. 16 when he fights Chase Gormley in a superheavyweight bout on HDNet as part of XFC 16: High Stakes. Sayles won the Army event in 2009 as a staff sergeant with 3rd Infantry Division; he also took top honors in 2008 and 2006. The 6-foot-5 Hawaiian, 2-0 at the pro MMA level, tips the scales at 300-plus pounds, meaning a future in the UFC could be contingent on cutting enough weight to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit.
Report: Brian Stann’s next UFC fight slated for April
January 5th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Brian Stann drops Jorge Santiago in the second round of his TKO win at UFC 130 in May 2011. (The Associated Press)
Good news, MMA fans: Former Marine and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann is returning to the Octagon in April. Stann will square off with Alessio Sakara in the headline fight at UFC on FUEL TV 2, MMAJunkie.com reported today.
The fight will take place April 14 at the Ericsson Global Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s the first UFC event in that country, according to Sherdog.com.
Stann (11-4) hasn’t fought since a second-round submission loss to Chael Sonnen in October at UFC 136. Sakara (15-8) is also coming off a defeat, losing a decision to Chris Weidman in March.
Never heard of FUEL TV? Click here to find out if you cable system carries it.
A lousy weekend
October 9th, 2011 | Air Force Army Marine Corps Mixed martial arts Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Chael Sonnen takes down Brian Stann at UFC 136 in Houston. Sonnen submitted Stann in the second round. (AP Photo/ Houston Chronicle,Johnny Hanson)
It was a bad weekend for the service academy football teams. Very bad.
Army lost to previously winless Miami (Ohio). Air Force got smoked by Notre Dame. Navy was trounced at home by Southern Miss.
And on top of all of that, the military’s biggest MMA star — former Marine officer and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann — was soundly defeated Saturday night at UFC 136.
Stann handled
The only of the above events I watched was Stann’s loss, which was somewhat stunning. It wasn’t surprising that Stann lost — he was the underdog — but it was shocking to see Chael Sonnen dominate him so thoroughly right from opening bell.
An All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, Sonnen’s grappling abilities proved to be too much for Stann, who’s had his greatest success as a stand-and-bang fighter. By the end of Saturday’s fight, Stann had spent most of the match on his back or against the fence, unable to create any distance from Sonnen. According to FightMetric.com, Stann was outstruck 28-2 by Sonnen and was taken down four times.
Sonnen completed his dominating performance with an arm triangle, forcing Stann to tap at 3:51 in the second round. Adding insult to injury, Sonnen didn’t even discuss the match in hi postfight interview in the Octagon, choosing instead to callout rival Anderson Silva in a WWE-esque rant. Intentionally or unintentionally, Sonnen’s antics seemed to drive home that this was an easy victory for him.
The loss is Stann’s first since dropping to middleweight, where he had won three straight fights. Stann’s last loss in the Octagon – to light heavyweight Phil Davis in Feb. 2010 — was another matchup against a former NCAA All-American wrestler.
Afterward Stann was understandably frustrated.
“I thought I was strong enough to handle his wrestling and that wasn’t the case, ” Stann said. “You don’t want Chael Sonnen on top of you. It was horrible.”
Stann’s pro record now stands at 11-4.
Down year?
Last season saw all three service academy football teams make it to bowl games. It appears highly unlikely that will happen again.
Brian Stann warned the fly, but it didn’t listen
October 5th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Marine officer and current UFC superstar Brian Stann was just trying do an interview. Minding his business, really. But this damn fly wouldn’t leave him alone.
Memorial Day monster: Brian Stann dominates in UFC 130 win
May 29th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Brian Stann rains down punches on Jorge Santiago during the first round of their UFC 130 bout in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
This Memorial Day weekend the Marine Corps and the entire military can take pride in the power, precision and class that former Marine and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann brought to his UFC 130 fight with fellow middleweight Jorge Santiago.
Stann put on a clinic against Santiago on Saturday night, dispatching the Brazilian at 4:29 of the second round after a devastating right hook put Santiago on the mat. Stann immediately jumped on top of the dazed Santiago, and got in six more shots to finish the fight before referee Herb Dean jumped into to stop the bout.
The first round also belonged to Stann. A left hook by Stann in the first sent Santiago to the canvas, and for a moment it appeared Stann may finish him. The former Marine pummeled him on the ground, but Santiago was able to escape and get back to his feet before the round ended.
Throughout the bout, Stann took the action to Santiago. He connected with numerous leg kicks and seemed unworried about Santiago’s counter-striking. Santiago, known as a proficient grappler, was never able to take Stann down. Shortly before the right hook that effectively ended the fight, Stann also stuffed a flying knee attempt by Santiago.
Stann, an Iraq War veteran who earned his Silver Star for his actions as a platoon commander in 2004, paid tribute to the fallen service members and their families during his post-fight interview in the octagon.
“All you families out there that have lost someone in combat, this weekend is all about you,” Stann said. “So please everybody, take some time this weekend, remember what it’s all about. Thank those who sacrificed all for our freedoms …”
The victory is Stann’s third straight since moving to the UFC’s middlweight division. He’s 5-2 overall since joining the UFC in 2009.
More pics after the jump:
Main event of Brian Stann’s next UFC fight canceled
May 9th, 2011 | Navy UFC | Posted by militaryonline
The Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard UFC 130 main event has been canceled due to injuries to each of the fighters, MMAFighting.com reported Monday. Former Marine Brian Stann’s next fight is also at this event.
The Maynard-Edgar cancellation isn’t huge news if you’re a die-hard Stann fan, but it does take a lot of the luster off the overall card. Maynard and Edgar were fighting for the lightweight title, and their last fight at UFC 125 was a five-round epic that ended in a controversial draw.
Coincidentally, Stann’s fight last fight, a TKO win against Chris Leben, also happened to be on the undercard of that Edgar-Maynard main event.
The new UFC 130 main event is light heavyweight fight between Rampage Jackson and Matt Hamill. The co-main event will feature former heavyweight champ Frank Mir and Roy “Big Country” Nelson, who won The Ultimate Fighter TV show a few seasons back. Stann’s fight with Jorge Santiago is still on the pay-per-view portion of the event, and Thiago Alves’s welterweight matchup with Rick Story has been added to the pay-per-view card.
Brian Stann on how he preps for a fight
April 11th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
This video is straight from Greg Jackson’s gym in Albuquerque, and just listening to Brian Stann talk about his training habits makes my out-of-shape butt tired.
Stann, the former Marine who earned the Silver Star for his actions a a platoon leader in Iraq, is currently getting ready for his next bout at UFC 130 in May. In this interview he talks about his strength and conditioning regime, and he balances that out with sparring and technical work prior to his fights.
Stann also gives a shoutout to Sgt. George Lockhart, who helps Stann (and other fighters at Jackson’s gym) with diet and nutrition.
Brian Stann talks about UFC 130 opponent Jorge Santiago
February 27th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Here’s a short clip of former Marine Brian Stann talking about his upcoming fight with Jorge Santiago at UFC 130. Stann also touches on Wanderlei Silva, the man Stann had hoped to fight.
The video is from ESPN’s MMA Live, for which the well-spoken Stann has become frequent guest analyst. See the full vid here.
New name in mix as a possible opponent for Brian Stann
February 13th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Brian Stann and Wanderlei Silva are still matched up on the official UFC 130 website, but apparently nothing is confirmed yet. On Saturday the webiste MMAjunkie.com reported that Jorge Santiago, not Silva, is likely to be the former Marine’s next opponent. The MMAJunkie report came a day after ESPN.com reported that Santiago would indeed be returning to the UFC.
On Sunday, Stann said on Twitter that nothing has been decided yet regarding his opponent.
“Not sure who I’m fighting next, both names being thrown around sound great to me! Be an honor,” Stann tweeted.
Santiago, who last fought in the UFC in 2006, is 23-8 as an MMA fighter. He’s won 10 of his last 11 fights, with the majority of the wins coming in Strikeforce and the Sengoku organization, where he is the current middleweight champion.
Here’s a highlight film put together by American Top Team, where Santiago trains.
Fight Brian Stann? ‘[Expletive] that.’
January 25th, 2011 | After Action UFC | Posted by Mike Hoffman
That was Wanderlai Silva’s response to UFC president Dana White’s proposal for “The Axe Muderer’s” next fight be the former Marine captain.
“We were actually trying to hook [Silva] up with Brian Stann. He doesn’t want to fight Brian Stann. He’s like, ‘[Expletive] that. Everybody is going to hate me if I fight Brian Stann. Everybody loves Brian Stann.’ But that’s the fight we’re trying to make right now,” White said Friday during the Q&A session at UFC Fight Night 23: Fight for the Troops 2.
Silva is coming off an injury to his knee, but he is ready to fight again, White said. The Brazilian mixed martial artist just would rather not fight a Marine right now.
Stann still wants to fight a top 10 opponent and has also suggested fights with Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort.