Risk Reward at UFC 125 Pays Off For Brian Stann
Silver Star recipient, ex marine officer, and American hero Brian Stann (10-3 MMA) impressed the world when he requested a huge challenge to face Chris Leben tonight, and it served him well. The mood in the arena was fantastic and the fans knew they were prepping for an epic brawl between two heavy hitting fighters. Stann was the heavy underdog and many fans thought he was in a win win situation with his seemingly impossible to win move forward, but Brian showed everyone that motivation and hard work can win you fights.
Chris Leben (25-7 MMA) is a very experienced fighter who loves to brawl and walk through shots but that has led him down the losing path in the past. He was riding a high with a win streak over an undefeated wrestler and a superstar from Asia.
Early in the fight Leben seemed to be leaping forward in dangerous territory and started to get hit from Stann making the two exchange in wild and fast fashion. Stann connected with a nice left cross to Leben’s chin sending his arms flailing to try to catch Stann who then countered with a straight right on Leben’s chin sending him to the mat. Brian swarmed the tough chinned Leben and used his devastating ground and pound to put him away efficiently. Midway through the first before many fans even started to blink, it was over. This time the crisp boxer landed the better shots and Technique overcame brute strength.
After the fight, Stann dedicated the win to a fallen Marine that was in his company that died in Afghanistan and was full of joy and even some slight tears. He showed America on the main stage that sometimes Captain America prevails and that the good guy won. During the post fight press conference he expressed his interest in a title run and wanting to be a solid top 10 middleweight fighter. He also said he would like to fight Wanderlei Silva, mentioning how “before I even put on gloves I was watching him fight in awe, wanting to be like him” and how a win over him would bring him very close to a Title Shot. Maia, Sonnen, and Bisping would also be good options for him in the pretty deep middleweight division.
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About the Author (Author Profile)
A college student residing in Arizona, coming off of active duty and continuing to work for the government. I hold a black belt in Hapkido, and have high school wrestling experience paired with multiple grappling tournaments. I spent six months training Authentic Muay Thai and now I am currently enrolling in Gracie B.J.J/MMA this week. I plan on starting my amateur fighting Career sometime late this year to early next year and also plan on entering B.J.J. tournaments through the year.Subscribe
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interesting perspective on this fight, any chance you can link to the video?
@MMA Training
We don’t have a link to give you unfortunately. Thanks for the comment though