Brian Stann got himself back on track, knocking Alessio Sakara out in the first round of their fight.
Both men are dangerous strikers, but Stann was able to find his range first and drop Sakara with a knee. From there, Stann hammered away in Sakara’s guard and ended the fight with a couple vicious left hooks.
This is Stann’s fourth win in his last five fights and puts him back in the hunt for a shot at the UFC Middleweight Championship.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
The knockout, of course.
People always remember a knockout and this one in particular was interesting. It’s rare that you see a fighter knock his opponent out with left hooks from inside the guard.
What we learned about Brian Stann:
Nothing we didn’t know already.
This dude is one of the hardest punchers at middleweight. If he finds your chin, you’re going out.
What we learned about Alessio Sakara:
He’s still not a top middleweight.
If you look at Sakara’s record, he’s had reasonable success within the UFC, but every time he faces a top contender, he falters.
He’s an entertaining fighter, so the UFC will keep him around as long as he wins more than he loses, but Sakara will never be in the title picture.
What’s next for Brian Stann:
Yushin Okami.
What’s next for Alessio Sakara:
The loser of C.B. Dollaway and Jason Miller would make sense.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
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