Middleweight Brian Stann wasted little time rebounding from the first loss of his 185-pound career, dismantling Alessio Sakara in less than a round.
The performance showed that the former United States Marine is still one of the most devastating strikers in the division. And although he came up short against current No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen, Stann is worthy of another upper-echelon opponent.
Unlike the Sonnen fight, where Stann’s takedown defense was exploited, Stann attacked early and often against the former professional boxer Sakara. Stann utilized knees from the Muay Thai clinch to send the Italian to the canvas, and finished him off with a series of devastating left hands from inside his guard.
The win took Stann’s record in the division to 4-1 since dropping down from light heavyweight. Now the question remains, where does Stann stack up against the rest of the middleweight division?
The easiest way to answer that question is to put him in the cage with the likes of the Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping or Mark Munoz—all of whom could be on the verge of a title shot in 2012.
Both Belfort and Bisping have fights lined up this summer, against Wanderlei Silva and Tim Boestch, respectively. Should either come out victorious, they represent the best matchup for Stann.
Belfort’s lightning-fast hands or Bisping’s precision striking are sure to yield fireworks for fans against the heavy-handed Stann.
However, the UFC could choose to go in a different direction and pit the former WEC champ against another high-level wrestler such as Munoz or even fast-rising prospect Chris Weidman. Either of those matchups could represent a litmus test for Stann’s evolving skill set.
Either way, Stann’s next opponent should be a top-tier fighter. The 31-year-old may not be ready to challenge champion Anderson Silva just yet, but there may be a title shot in the not-so-distant future.
Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.
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