UFC 136 – Brian Stann says he was sure he’d face Mark Munoz next but expects respect from Chael Sonnen

UFC middleweight contender, Brian Stann has been giving his thoughts on the news that he’ll face Chael Sonnen next inside the octagon, a fight that will go down at UFC 136 on October 8^th in Houston, Texas, explaining he was sure it would be Mark Munoz next for him inside the octagon.
Speaking via MMAJunkie.com, Stann said:

“I thought for sure I’d be fighting Mark Munoz, and that wasn’t the case. It was just a few days later when the UFC came calling and said, ‘You’re fighting Chael Sonnen.’ It’s just one of those situations. You want to be the best, you’ve got to fight the best.”

“I know Chael; he’s just not going to do it. I know there’s respect there. If he chooses to do it, honestly, I just don’t take it personally – the same way when I fought Chris Leben and he said I couldn’t punch my way out of a paper bag. Fighters have to sell fights.”

“If I get wrapped up in the trash talk, I’m not focusing on the technical skills that I need to win the actual fight. So I kind of submerse myself in Albuquerque and just don’t really care. I have so many coaches and great training partners around me that I don’t really have time to pay attention to any of it.”

Stann also spoke about the improvements he’s made in his wrestling game, something he’s likely to need to rely on if he’s to handle the powerhouse from Team Quest.

“I think a lot of people forget to calculate improvement from fight to fight. Especially for me in that I don’t have 30-plus fights, so I still improve a marked amount from fight to fight, especially in the wrestling area, which used to be the weakest part of my game.”

“I have some very, very good contacts for wrestling, and we’ve made a point of really making that a focus in each of my training camps for my last few fights. I know I’m going to come out in this fight and surprise a lot of people, both with my counter-wrestling skills and my jiu-jitsu skills if I need them.”

“Most importantly to me, a win over Chael shows what the result of very hard, dedicated focused work is, and what the results are by surrounding yourself with great people. Because that’s the real reason, from my family to my training partners and my coaches, I’ve been very fortunate who have a ton of knowledge who have supported me. That’s what has saved my UFC career.”

The American hero has racked up a number of impressive stoppage wins since dropping down to the middleweight division, scoring TKO wins over both Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago this year alone. Stay tuned to MMABay for more build-up to this one in the coming months.
By Michael Pepper