This weekend at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan, usual middleweights Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann square off in a special attraction light heavyweight bout.
It is a weight class both have fought in the past, but both settled at middleweight to make title runs.
Silva’s run at 185 is likely over, but Stann is likely to return to 185 at the conclusion of this fight, whether he wins or loses.
With a win over Silva, where would Stann sit in the 185-pound division?
It should first be noted that Stann, a former marine, is immensely popular with American fans. His war stories and decorated background give him a feel good story people can get behind.
That type of out-of-ring resume is likely to do favors for you that it would not do for others. By that, I mean he could probably earn a title shot easier than most guys.
The problem right now is that Stann is 1-2 in his last three fights, with both losses coming against two of the top middleweights in the world at the time.
He suffered a submission setback at UFC 136, when he succumbed to an arm-triangle choke by Chael Sonnen, as well as lost a close battle to British heel Michael Bisping.
In the middle of those losses is a brutal knockout victory over Alessio Sakara, a career mid-carder.
However, don’t let his current nemesis fool you. Although Silva has a worn down chin and is way past his prime, he has aggressive knockout power and is fighting in familiar territory (Saitama Arena, home of many Pride events).
This is a very big challenge for Stann, whether you like to admit it or not.
Sure, Stann has the privilege of owning nasty knockout power himself and it looks like his chin is sculpted out of the Rocky Mountains. But, if Silva touches your chin with one of his haymakers, it may be night-night for anybody.
I don’t think a title shot is within reach just yet, but beating Silva will definitely throw him in the fray. He joins a number of top-10 fighters in the hunt, assuming Silva doesn’t take one of the “superfights” they have been talking about for years now.
It is a crowded title picture currently, with names like Chris Weidman, Vitor Belfort and even Bisping at the top, so Stann will need to be impressive in his next few outings.
If he can do that, we may see Stann headlining a card for the title opposite the champ.
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