Anderson Silva is without a doubt the king of the UFC’s middleweight division.
The owner of the longest title reign in the UFC, “the Spider” has won each of his thirteen bouts inside the Octagon as well as defending his title eight consecutive times—both records.
Set to face top contender Yushin Okami at UFC: Rio in August, there remains very few in the division who pose a threat to Silva’s belt.
Most analysts see the pound for pound king facing Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre or moving up to light-heavyweight if he gets past Okami.
But what about Brian Stann?
War hero and former WEC light-heavyweight champion, Stann quietly amassed a respectable 3-2 record in the UFC coming into the biggest fight of his career against the dangerous Chris Leben in January.
Known for his cut physique and world-class athleticism, analysts saw Stann as a strong, athletic guy, but lacking the striking and technical skills possessed by others in the division. Leben was thought to have the better hands—boy were they wrong.
Stann came out swinging hard, knocking down Leben, known for his tough chin, multiple times. Showcasing any array of techniques, Stann landed a myriad of body kicks and punches before ending the fight with a knee to the body against the cage 3:37 into the first round.
The only other fighter to dominate Leben with strikes—Anderson Silva.
Now don’t get me wrong, Silva is by far the better striker in comparison to Stann. With a list of knockouts including Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin and Vitor Belfort, Silva wouldn’t worry about Stann’s striking.
But the former Marine is ever improving his game, with Leben just the latest victim of his newly added skills.
Stann showed off his submission skills last August, catching Mike Massenzio in a triangle in the third round. His debut at middleweight, this bout also earned the “All-American” Fight of the Night honors.
Training under the mastermind that is Greg Jackson, Stann’s raw athletic ability and hard work ethic make him the ideal student for Jackson. Working with his stable of champions in New Mexico, Stann will no doubt come out even better when he faces Sengoku middleweight champion Jorge Santiago later this month.
If Stann can put on another dominating performance, this time against a champion caliber fighter in Santiago, look for this American hero to be catapulted into stardom.
Time will only tell if Brian Stann can craft himself into a champion, but if he keeps dominating opponents inside the Octagon, Silva and the rest of the division will definitely have to take notice.
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