Brian Stann
You are currently browsing the articles from MMA Factor matching the category Brian Stann.
With the WEC’s next event just around the corner, media coverage has started to ramp up this week. As it does, the one thing that becomes increasingly clear is that the organization’s top fighters are mostly just pissed off that they aren’t in the UFC. USA Today wrote about the UFC’s uncertain attitude regarding the future of the promotion, including a quote from Marc Ratner that reflects what seems to the consensus opinion over at Zuffa:
“There is talk about having the heavier guys come on over (to UFC), and maybe anything under 145 (pounds, the featherweight limit) would be WEC and above 145 would be UFC,” says UFC vice president Marc Ratner. “It hasn’t been put into place yet.”
In the same article, Carlos Condit describes the UFC as “the big show” and says he hopes to move on up. Jamie Varner made similar comments to Sherdog, saying:
“I still got all the doubters out there, and that’s motivation to me,” Varner said. “All the people out there saying this guy in the UFC would beat you or this guy in Dream would kill you. I want to beat everyone that Zuffa puts in front of me and hopefully one day get my opportunity to fight a B.J. Penn and show the world what I’m made of.”
Ordinarily it would be a bad thing to have all your top fighters publicly stating their desire to go and fight somewhere else, but this only reinforces how smart it was of Zuffa to purchase the WEC and use them as a sort of minor league, as well as how dumb it would be to turn it into nothing but featherweights and bantamweights.
What I like about the WEC is that Zuffa has them available for free on a small cable station (Versus), but they still put on great fights between quality competitors. It’s a given that no one wants to stick around, much like minor league baseball. And just as there’s a very different, but still very real pleasure to watching minor league baseball, the same can be said of the WEC.
That’s why it would be a shame to see them turn it into nothing more than their repository for the lighter weight classes. That just privileges the larger fighters who would get to go to the big time simply because of their weight — Brian Stann, for example — while ignoring supremely talented guys like Urijah Faber.
I’d really like to see Zuffa go all the way with the minor-league format for the WEC. Keep all the weight classes, bring at least the top featherweights to the UFC, and make it a little more equitable across the board. That way people will really know what to think of the WEC. Instead of it being home to really great featherweights and lower, along with heavier guys who aren’t ready for the UFC, it could be all guys who aren’t ready for the UFC.
Imagine how much more fun it would be to watch guys mature in the WEC and then get called up to the UFC for their big chance. Not to mention, it’s much easier to promote them when you already own footage of their previous fights.
While they’re at it, maybe add a wacky mascot and some special theme events like “nickel beer night.” Just saying. It couldn’t hurt (yes it could).
Written by admin on July 31st, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Versus and Jamie Varner and Brian Stann and Marc Ratner and fight and Urijah Faber and Carlos Condit and UFC and WEC and Zuffa and Commentary and MMA.
WORLD EXTREME CAGEFIGHTING® ANNOUNCES CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLEHEADER IN AUGUST
CARLOS CONDIT, BRIAN STANN, AND JAMIE VARNER ALL DEFEND THEIR CROWNS
SUNDAY, AUGUST 3, 2008
LIVE FROM THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS
Tickets On Sale Now
Las Vegas – The World Extreme Cagefighting® (WEC™) organization announced today that three world titles will be on the line when WEC [...]
Written by admin on June 4th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Jamie Varner and Brian Stann and Carlos Condit and WEC and UFC and MMA.
Brian Stann (6-0) will defend his WEC light heavyweight title for the first time when returns the cage against Steve Cantwell (5-1) on August 3. The “All-American” made the announcement on the Howard Stern show this past Thursday.
No location or possible venue for the showdown is known at this time.
Stann captured the 205-pound crown with a knockout win of then champion, Doug Marshall, at WEC 33: “Back to Vegas” on March 26. The heavy-handed former Marine has five straight wins for the Zuffa-owned promotion and none of them have gone beyond the first round.
Cantwell has strung two wins together, finishing Tim McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke) at WEC 33. Prior to that he pounded out Justin McElfresh at WEC 29 in August 2007. It was apparently good enough to earn him another shot at Stann.
Stann and Cantwell met at WEC 26 last March … and it didn’t last very long. In fact, Stann knocked out Cantwell only 41 into round one.
So mark your calendars for the next WEC event in August. Could we possibly get Filho-Sonnen II for the WEC middleweight title as well?
Stay tuned.
Written by admin on May 23rd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Brian Stann and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and MMA.
WEC light heavyweight champion Brian Stann was a guest on the Howard Stern show today and revealed that his next fight will be taking place on a WEC card on August 3.
According to Stann, he will defend his title against Steve Cantwell.
The fight will actually serve as a rematch, as Stann and Cantwell fought at [...]
Written by admin on May 22nd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Brian Stann and WEC and MMA.
Was actually surprised to see this segment of WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Stann on CNN while I was visiting someone in the hospital this weekend:
Props: CNN.com
Written by admin on April 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on brian stann iraq and brian stann marines and brian stann mma and brian stann ufc and brian stann fight and brain stann wec and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Brian Stann and MMA.
(Mark Miller (L) will attempt to knock Jay Hieron’s shades off.)
Quiet out on the MMA plains this evening, but here are a couple of news pieces to check out:
— The official weigh-in for tomorrow night’s IFL show in Jersey came and went today, and all went smooth. The show kicks off at 7:30 pm (ET) and goes live on HDNet at 8:30 pm (ET).
Here are the weigh-in results:
Title Fights
Jay Hieron (170) vs. Mark Miller (170.4)
Wagnney Fabiano (145.4) vs. Shad Lierley (145.8)
Vladimir Matyushenko (205.4) vs. Jamal Patterson (205.6)
Non-Title and Team Fights
Delson Heleno (170.8) vs. Brad Blackburn (171)
Jim Miller (155) vs. Bart Palaszewski (155.5)
Nate Lamotte (155.8) vs. Chris Horodecki (154.6)
Mike Ciesnolevicz (206) vs. Carmelo Marrero (205.8)
Emyr Bussade (170) vs. Jesse Lennox (170)
Rafael Dias (145.6) vs. L.C. Davis (145.6)
Alex Schoenauer (204) vs. Brendan Barrett (205.5)
We would post video of the weigh-ins, but it was just too intense for a Thursday.
— Keith Kizer and his NSAC boys weren’t able to bust any of the fighters from WEC 33. Fighters were tested for the normal perf-enhancing drugs and those of abuse. Brian Stann, Doug Marshall, Logan Clark, Alex Serdyukov, Richard Crunkilton, Chael Sonnen, Bryan Baker, Steve Cantwell, and Marcus Hicks were given a pass for their piss. Kizer said that the state of Nevada has had “no positive tests yet this year, although we have tested way more fighters in January through March 2008 than in any other January through March period of years past.” Brag, much?
We would post video of the piss — and other — tests, but it’s too early on a Thursday for that sort of thing.
Written by admin on April 3rd, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on weigh-in and WEC 33 and drug test and Fabiano and Kizer and Horodecki and Chael Sonnen and IFL and News and Jay Hieron and Brian Stann and MMA.
(Chael Sonnen, pre-WEC.)
Chael Sonnen earned some real estate commission-sized dough this week at WEC 33, raking in $34k. The official payouts for all 20 of the event’s participants have been released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission and Sonnen was the night’s big money winner. The event saw Chael easily handle Bryan Baker, and also saw the light heavyweight title switch from Doug Marshall to Brian Stann. The total payout for the night hit $213k, or about what Kimbo makes for winning a fight. After looking at the WEC’s payments, the phrase “salary commensurate with experience” comes to mind.
Here’s the dish:
– Brian Stann ($18,000) over Doug Marshall ($10,000)
– Chael Sonnen ($34,000) over Bryan Baker ($5,000)
– Marcus Hicks ($10,000) over Ed Ratcliff ($7,000)
– Steve Cantwell ($8,000) over Tim McKenzie ($6,000)
– Hiromitsu Miura ($8,000) over Blas Avena ($6,O00)
– Brock Larson ($24,000) over John Alessio ($15,000)
– Richard Crunkilton Jr. ($20,000) over Sergio Gomez ($4,000)
– Alex Serdyukov ($12,000) over Ryan Stonitsch ($3,000)
– Chris Manuel ($3,000) in a draw with Kenji Osawa ($5,000)
– Logan Clark ($12,000) over J. Scott Harper ($3,000)
Fighters in the win column got 50% of their haul as base and the other half as a win bonus. Sucks to be Kenji Osawa and Chris Manuel, who fought to a draw and got stuck with only their “to show” money. NSAC head Keith Kizer confirmed to MMAJunkie that the fighters are not given a bonus if a draw happens. That fine print will get you every time.
As always, none of this includes subtractions for insurance, taxes, etc. Let’s just hope the fighters had some healthy sponsors to help off-set this brand of payday. We’re talkin’ Chael Sonnen style sponsorship.
Written by admin on March 28th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Chael Sonnen and payouts and WEC 33 and Brian Stann and Doug Marshall and Brock Larson and News and MMA.
(Sergio Gomez swings at Rich Crunkilton in the goriest fight of the night. Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)
Doug Marshall’s light-heavyweight belt ended up around another guy’s waist last night, as Brian Stann got the better of the Rhino in a brief but wild brawl at WEC 33. Marshall took it to the Marine early and seemed to have him in trouble after landing some power punches, but in the midst of the barrage Stann fired off a left hook that connected perfectly, sending Marshall to the mat. Stann threw up his hands in victory before realizing the fight hadn’t been stopped yet; after Stann landed a couple of finishing blows from the top, Herb Dean stepped in and called the match at the 1:35 mark. Afterwards, an emotional Stann told the crowd, “All my Marines came with me in this ring. You’re all here. This belt represents all of my Marines that were with me, that couldn’t be here, that died in combat with me.” The win brings Stann’s record to 6-0, with all six of his victories coming via first-round TKO.
Chael Sonnen was also dominant in his match with Bryan Baker, spending most of the fight brutalizing Baker with ground-and-pound, and scoring some dramatic takedowns. Though Sonnen wasn’t able to earn a victory by stoppage, the judges’ scores reflected how lopsided the action was: 30-26, 30-25, and 30-25.
Also notable was the three-round war between Richard Crunkilton Jr. and Sergio Gomez. An elbow from Crunkilton slashed the back of Gomez’s head in the first round, opening a gash that spit blood for the remainder of the fight. Though Gomez had his moments during the standup exchanges, Crunkilton’s takedowns, GnP, and submission attempts were too much for Gomez to handle, and the judges awarded Crunkilton a unanimous decision.
Full results are below…
— Brian Stann def. Doug Marshall via TKO, 1:35 of round 1
— Chael Sonnen def. Bryan Baker via unanimous decision
— Marcus Hicks def. Ed Ratcliff via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:42 of round 1
— Steve Cantwell def. Tim McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:13 of round 1
— Hiromitsu Miura def. Blas Avena via TKO at 2:35 of round 1
— Brock Larson def. John Alessio via disqualification (illegal knee) at 1:50 of round 1
— Rich Crunkilton def. Sergio Gomez via unanimous decision
— Alex Serdyukov def. Ryan Stonitsch via submission (triangle choke) at 1:35 of round 1
— Kenji Osawa and Chris Manuel fought to a draw
— Logan Clark def. Scott Harper via TKO at 4:37 of round 1
UPDATE: Here’s the video of the main event. Notice the opening staredown, where Marshall seemed unable to maintain eye contact with Stann.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Recap and Richard Crunkilton and Sergio Gomez and WEC 33 and Chael Sonnen and Bryan Baker and WEC and Doug Marshall and Brian Stann and MMA.
In a fight that was destined to be a stand up war, all it took was a perfect left hook by Brian Stann to drop Doug Marshall for good in the main event of tonight’s WEC 33 to capture the 205-pound title.
The result came in 1:35 of the very first round via technical knockout in a fight that began with both men looking to find their range in the early going. Stann — using his three inch reach advantage — kept Marshall at bay until the two met in the clinch.
It was in the clinch where it was the beginning of the end for Marshall.
Both men were trading big shots back and forth at the break until Stann caught Marshall with the left hook. It was from there with Marshall on the ground, Stann would deliver two more big shots until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.
From there it was a sign of emotion as Stann would go on one knee and was in tears after the victory. The future is bright for Stann who is just six fights deep into his professional mixed martial arts career and he is already a champion.
As for Marshall, look for him to get back up and climb the ladder for another shot at Stann. Marshall showed the class of a former champion by helping wrap the strap around the new titleholder.
Pure class from the former champion, but tonight was a good night to be a Marine.
With everything to lose, including a title shot, Chael Sonnen put on a clinic against up and comer Brian Baker. From the first minute of the fight and on, Sonnen took control with relentless takedowns and brutal ground and pound. Sonnen would deliver devastating elbows and punches from the guard of Baker to end the first round.
In the second, it was much as the same as Sonnen once again took the fight to the ground. Even toward the middle of the second Sonnen delivered an exciting suplex while transitioning into Baker’s guard. It was from there that Sonnen continued to pull away with textbook ground and pound.
In the final stanza Sonnen did not relent as he continued to takedown Baker and overwhelm him en route to a dominating decision win. The scores tallied 30-26, 30-25, 30-25 and now Sonnen looks to redeem himself in a rematch with current WEC Middleweight Champion Paulo Filho sometime later this year.
Give credit for Baker to withstand the barrage of Sonnen to be there until the final bell. The future is bright for Baker and it will be a learning experience for him. With this win, Sonnen can make a case of being one of the most underrated middleweights in the world and will certainly give Filho problems in the rematch like he did in their first encounter before getting caught.
In lightweight action, Marcus Hicks solidified his place as possibly next in line for a title shot. Being the aggressor for most of the fight, Hicks delivered haymakers that landed on the chin of Ed “9 MM” Ratcliff. Hicks dropped Ratcliff with overhand lefts and right, almost ending the fight on two occasions with the guillotine choke.
Hicks then landed one more left hand haymaker that dropped Ratcliff to the canvas as and sunk in a guillotine choke to end the fight at 1:42 left in the first round. Hicks ends the undefeated streak of Ratcliff and preserves his own undefeated record.
Look out for the “Wrecking Ball,” Jamie Varner.
Also on the card, Sergio Gomez and Richard Crunkilton engaged in a lightweight war that ended with a unanimous decision win for Crunkilton. It was a night for takedowns, as Crunkilton would takedown Gomez with ease and was in dominant positions for most of the fight. He would also deliever a big elbow in one of those exchanges on the ground, opening a big gash on the back of Gomez’ head.
Gomez’ best opportunity to win the fight was on the feet where he was getting the better of those exchanges. But it was Crunkilton who would weather the storm and dropped Gomez to the ground once again on both occasions.
Gomez showed a lot of heart but it wasn’t enough on this night.
The night started off with a bang as Steve Cantwell and Tim McKenzie went toe-to-toe standing. Cantwell was stalking McKenzie from the opening bell and was looking to bang. Cantwell then threw left head kick that forced McKenzie to shoot for a takedown. But Cantwell was having none of it as he sprawled back to his feet where he felt comfortable.
Cantwell then threw another high kick that rocked McKenzie and it was textbook from there. Cantwell would clinch with McKenzie and deliver knees that knocked McKenzie to the ground. Cantwell would then pounce on McKenzie and gained full mount. With no where to go and getting peppered with shots by Cantwell, McKenzie gave up his back.
Cantwell then applied the rear naked choke for a submission victory in the first round. The light heavyweight division is very thin when it comes to contenders, and Cantwell could very well be in the mix.
All in all, a great night of fights that saw only two of the five fights going to decision. Marcus Hicks and Chael Sonnen are now at the front of the contender line in their respective divisions. And Steve Cantwell and Brian Baker showed that they are the future of the WEC even though both men had mixed results tonight.
Brian Stann and Doug Marshall gave the fans what they came to see. Yet in the end, the former Marine pulled through once again like he did for his country and is now champion.
The sky’s the limit for Stann, and only time will tell how far he can go. With one hell of a chin and a determination that cannot be measured; Stann is one fighter to watch out for in the WEC.
For complete results of all the WEC 33 action this evening, including the under card bouts, click here.
Written by admin on March 27th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on Brian Stann and Doug Marshall and World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and MMA.
« Older articles
No newer articles