Give Brian Stann credit, the guy doesn't need to be fighting in a cage. At age 30, Stann could pretty much choose any profession and be successful. As we witnessed today during the UFC 130 press conference, he'd be a great politician .
"I've been given an amazing opportunity by the UFC. I really make it a point to enjoy every minute I'm in that Octagon because in the blink of an eye that could be taken from any one of us. How many people get the opportunity to be a professional athlete, have an entire arena screaming at you for moment in time? I mean, we're gods in there for 15 minutes," Stann said. "That's gonna pass us by. I savor the opportunity and I'm just very lucky to be fighting a champion like Jorge [Santiago] on Memorial Day."
Before each fight, Stann's military background (Naval Academy grad and a Marine, who served in Iraq and was awarded the Silver Star in 2006) makes for a tremendous story, or does it?
At the presser today, a media member asked if Stann was tired of talking about his heroic history in the military. Most people might have popped off, but not Stann. He took it in stride.
"It's never easy to talk about because it always feels like I'm bragging about my military history and that's not my intention. I'm sure some of the hardcore fans get sick of hearing about it but I'm not the one asking the questions. I think this being Memorial Day that was obvious this was going to happen. I'm sorry if people are getting sick of hearing about it," said Stann.
Sorry? For what? There's no need for Stann to apologize. There's new viewers and fans, at and around each UFC event. Why not keep telling the story? The work he's doing as the executive director of Hire Heroes is pretty incredible.
When it came time to talk about the fight against Santiago, he paid the Brazilian nothing but respect. In doing so, he actually took a mild shot at his original opponent Wanderlei Silva.
"When you get to legend status like Wanderlei Silva, some fights pique your interest and some fights don't," Stann said. "In all honesty, let's face it, I got a tougher opponent, who's better for my career."
Many fans may argue that point. Silva is still a huge name and win by Stann would've moved him towards a fight with a top five opponent at middleweight. Stann pointed out that Santiago is a champion, who's 11-1 over the last four years. Stann has won two straight and 4-of-5. That loss came at 205 against fast-rising prospect Phil Davis.
You can watch UFC 130 right here on Yahoo! Sports
No comments:
Post a Comment