To kick off the pay-per-view portion of UFC 130, Brian Stann was put up against Jorge Santiago in a middleweight fight.
In the first round, Stann pushed forward with his striking, but Santiago was able to utilize his footwork to avoid any of the big shots. Then Stann started to work the lead leg of Santiago. After a few kicks landed, Santiago found himself on his backside. Stann let him back up, and nearly got his head kicked off of his shoulders for his effort.
Then Stann landed a left hand that put Santiago on his back. Stann pounced on his prey with elbows and hammerfists. Although Stann couldn’t land anything heavy enough to put Santiago out, he landed well enough to “keep him screwy” according to Joe Rogan.
The second round began with a failed takedown attempt by Santiago. After that, Santiago seemed content to stand and trade with the heavy handed Stann. While Santiago did land some nice strikes, they were no where near as powerful as those thrown by Stann.
Santiago Seemed to gain a little confidence in his striking as he landed a spinning back fist, but it didn’t phase Stann at all. Stann continued to work Santiago’s lead leg and body.
Then out of nowhere, Stann landed a solid right hand that put Santiago down and out.
The official time of the (technical) knockout: 4:29 of round two.