How to Play the Game, by Brian Stann.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 3, 2011 11:33 PM EST
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PrintStep 1 – Find an angle and play it hard. Stann knows that military service
plays big with many a fight fan. A humble man may never make mention of his heroics even if he were asked. Stann knows that won’t grow his status within the promotion, so he slips in a combat comment whenever possible. Smart move. "I’ve been in a little bit more intense situations than that before and kept my calm."
Step 2 – Get ranked and get known at the same time. Stann called out Chris Leben. Very smart. Leben was freshly ranked in the top 12-14 for the first time in his life after beating Akiyama and building his name in a banner year. Stann jumped at the opportunity to steal all that momentum by calling out a fighter with a rank that far outweighed their skill.
Step 3 – Build your opponent up to build yourself up. Describe your opponent as the "top echelon" and "toughest" amongst other things. Having Joe Rogan in your supporting cast doesn't hurt either.
Step 4 – Win, and win big. Stann fought smart. He went in with a plan. He knew how to beat Leben and he executed perfectly. On top of that, he told everyone exactly what he would do beforehand. He already had a trustworthy image, but now we really believe him.
Step 5 – Rinse and repeat. Wanderlei Silva is not ranked beyond his skill like Leben was. However, his name is huge and Stann can beat him. Stann is wisely picking off the juiciest of the low lying fruit that puts him en route to a title.
Hats off to Brian Stann. Fighters could learn a lot by studying his playbook.
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It's not all Stann's decision on who he fights.
Just because he calls out someone doesn’t mean its going to happen. I personally think Silva v Stann would be a good fight though. He hasn’t proved himself enough to fight anyone in the top 10 yet.
True its not all his decision..
..but he made his play, and it worked out. Plus Dana always says he likes guys calling each other out.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 4, 2011 12:46 AM EST up reply actions
brian stann is gonna be a pretty big star
hes a war hero, talks well enough, and is from scranton pa where the people go nuts over their hometown heros. gerry mcnamara from syracuse basketball fame is still a beloved star in the northeast pa area. stann is talented enough and at mw is big and strong enough to give most fighters fits
wandy is a winnable fight for him, as is bisping but i imagine seeing this guy in the UFC for years to come and being rather popular
"I have smoked weed with alot of UFC champions" - Joe Rogan
Wanderlei Silva is not ranked beyond his skill like Leben was. However, his name is huge and Stann can beat him. Stann is wisely picking off the juiciest of the low lying fruit that puts him en route to a title.
same reason why everyone has been calling out wanderlei.
Wand should be happy about that.
Wand dosen’t need to be fighting top guys anymore. He should start picking off up and comers, elite fighters would smash Wand.
A guy like Stann is tailor made for Wand.
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
I agree with this article. While there are MMA fans that do not like Stann for using “the military hero” angle and forcing it down their throats, others will embrace it. He just had a highlight reel win over a well-known opponent in Chris Leben, so his stock is up. I’m still not sold that he’ll be a big star though as I have to see more of his fights and see if he can beat top competition. Massenzio was able to take him down quite a bit in their fight, and Leben was being Leben.
I won't jump off the bandwagon just because you lost.
Good point
I actually meant to put something about that in the article. Stann made another smart move during the post fight press conference saying that he had filled his wrestler quota for the time being. He is essentially promising Dana exciting stand up fights while he tunes up his wrestling skills.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 4, 2011 3:53 AM EST up reply actions
I didn't realize he was forcing anything down anyones throat.
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
Therein lies the beauty of it
He has subtlety and finesse
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 4, 2011 2:52 PM EST up reply actions
I'm fairly cynical,, but that argument seems like bullshit
I don’t know a ton of Marines, but the ones I do know have very similar mannerisms I see in Brian Stann.
If it was manufactured at all, it was drilled into him at Parris Island, not as a pure marketing ploy.
Did he say Golly in a post fight interview, sure…you got me there, but he’s not the only person in sports who cleans up his act in front of a camera.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
I've talked to Stann before..
..and he’s a ‘golly’ kinda guy. It’s no act, he’s just in it for the right reasons.
And the guy doesn’t force his service down anyone’s throat anymore than training with Greg Jackson is forced down people’s throats by any fighter that does it, or having a BJJ black belt is ‘forced down people’s throats’.
It’s where you came from. It’s who you are. There should be no reason for anyone to hide what got them where they are.
Koscheck has frosted tips.
I remember Snowden talking about his dislike for Stann due to him feeling that Stann pushes his military service onto his fans.
It doesn’t bother me at all, but I’ve never been a serviceman so I may not be as partial to it as current or former military guys.
The dude got the Bronze star
Let him say what he wants…
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
And an episode about him on the History Channel
Which, unlike most media mentions of him, I think had nothing to do with his military service at all, just talking about his actions during Operation Matador.
"Second Lieutenant Stann personally directed two casualty operations, three vehicle recovery operations and multiple close air support missions under enemy small arms, machine gun and mortar fire in his 360-degree fight," – part of his citation
At said ceremony though, he credited the success as much to the Marines under his command, none of whom were KIA.
Re: the military hero angle
I wouldn’t be surprised if he only talks it up so much because of both his MMA career and Hire Heroes USA, though he’s already got quite some experience with media attention about his role in Operation Matador (a History Channel episode of Shootout! and being cited by then-POTUS Bush).
In contrast, SSG Salvatore Giunta’s reaction to being the first living MOH recipient for post-Vietnam action:
"Fuck you," I said. It sounds really awesome in theory, but what’s it worth? Brennan? Mendoza? No. I did what I did because in the scheme of painting the picture of that ambush, that was just my brush stroke. That’s not above and beyond. I didn’t take the biggest brush stroke, and it wasn’t the most important brush stroke. Hearing the Medal of Honor is like a slap in the face. I don’t think you know what I did. I didn’t do shit.
Stuff like what Giunta and his unit went through daily in the korengal valley was ridiculous, and even though i don’t believe in the war i have nothing but the utmost respect for those troops.
If Brian stann wants to say “I’ve been in a little bit more intense situations than that before and kept my calm.” then im not going to bust his ball over it
by TheBiggertheyare... on Jan 4, 2011 9:57 PM EST up reply actions
Well, if he's meaning "than a fistfight" I can completely believe it
Stann’s cited both his Marines and his own keeping their cool as central to his unit’s success during the incidents. (As of September 2010 he’s apparently still in the Individual Ready Reserve, and amusingly claims to have started MMA with only MCMAP under his belt.)
Unfortunately, for someone who believed that he was undeserving, Giunta’s probably reminded every time his base commander salutes him first and not the other way around…
I’d like to see Stann vs Bisping rather than Wandy, Wandy is likely to get KOed again and that makes me sad inside.
Wand beat Bisping.
Just sayin’.
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
Damn, Leben had to be ranked higher than 10 - 12 before he faced Anderson Silva
Excuse my emotional, reactionary, fanatic output but Pettis will be the next UFC lightweight champion. Period.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
I think its safe to say you are right
19 wins in 20 fights plus a five fight win streak to start his UFC career. By my tally that put him at #4 in the world before he fought Silva. Sadly there is no credible ranking system that goes back that far.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 4, 2011 3:38 PM EST up reply actions
ehhh . . . he was in line to face Rich Franklin around the time period so #4, #3 #2, whatever. He was definitely up there.
Credible Ranking System?
Junior Dos Santos defeated Fabricio Werdum, he stopped him cold. Dos Santos continued to be active facing and stopping many tough guys. Yet he was continuously ranked below Werdum? Go figure. And I can go on for days about Lesnar’s ranking. He’s currently ranked #2. I laugh. Ha.
Excuse my emotional, reactionary, fanatic output but Pettis will be the next UFC lightweight champion. Period.
- - - - -
VEe is ANIMated!
by VeeisAnimated on Jan 5, 2011 9:11 AM EST up reply actions
Still…rankings have come a long way. BE rankings and a few others can actual influence promoter decisions.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 5, 2011 4:17 PM EST up reply actions
Stann's not doing anything another up and coming fighter would does.
The guy was the WEC LHW champ, and he just beat Leben. I don’t see how his ability to play the game trumps his ability to defeat opponents in the cage.
Are you bitter that he mentions his previous career? Did you hate on Rich Franklin for mentioning being a teacher?
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
I don’t see how his ability to play the game trumps his ability to defeat opponents in the cage.
Neither do I. What are you talking about? Who’s hating? I’m a Stann Fann.
by cokemachinebaby on Jan 4, 2011 7:18 PM EST up reply actions
I don't like how negative people are being about his service
the guy does so much for other Vets, it’s crazy- I’ve seen him on political shows to talk about it and never reference being in mma at all. I don’t disagree that sometimes he references it subtly, but fuck it, he’s earned it. Let him tell everyone as much as his heart desires.
New England Patriots: We don't rebuild, we reload
by Austin Martin on Jan 4, 2011 6:47 PM EST reply actions 8 recs
i agree
I’ve been in the service and Stann does not force it at all down anyone’s throat. Of course he’s going to reference something that’s such an important part of his life. I’ve heard assholes go on and on about nothing and Stann is not one of them. It’s a totally different culture and Brian Stann is doing very well for himself.
I love that Stann won so impressively
Because Stann was one of the guys that came over when the WEC’s upper divisions were folded into the UFC. So many people talk crap about how none of the WEC guys were up to scratch, so to see Stann come in and blast Leben who was at the highest point of his career since starting off 5-0 in the UFC was very damn awesome.
Leben was coming off of a layoff for the Rosholt fight, and he was winning that fight, and I think a bad gas tank resulted in his round 3 choke out.
2010 was a complete resurgance for Leben, first he won a unanimous decision over Jay Silva on the prelims, then took a step up to fight then undefeated Aaron Simpson on the main card of a TUF finale, and finished him in the 2nd. Then 2 weeks later he took another big step up against Akiyama, who at the time was 13-1, on a 12 fight win streak and had only lost to a heavyweight. Leben turned it into a trench-war and tapped Akiyama out in the 3rd and officially raised his stock higher than ever.
Stann calling him out was a very smart, tactical move, but becoming the first guy to KO Leben since Anderson Silva was something I never would have expected.
CPG
Alistair Overeem - StrikeForce HeavyWeight Champion, K-1 2010 World Grand Prix Champion, DREAM Interim HeavyWeight Champion
I think he plays the military angle pretty well
Although I’m from the Netherlands where we basically have no army, I’ve been to the States a few times, and I’ve seen how fond Americans are of their troops. Wouldn’t he be a fool not to make use of that? Although the military angle doesn’t do anything for me, I can see how it gets him a ton of fans instantly. Also, actually having some medals to show for it does make it a bit more legit. It’s not as if he went to Iraq and sat in a tent and then came back only to brag about it..
I don’t know much about his particular case. I do know that when a company of men face extreme danger and hardship, in many cases only the commissioned officer gets awarded a medal. The disproportionate nature of the Silver Star is crazy. I know combat troops who lived with danger every day who didn’t sniff one, and officers who worked at a desk who took one home as an end of tour award.
by Jonathan Snowden on Jan 5, 2011 9:16 AM EST up reply actions
There's no such thing as a non-deserving medal winner.
Just plenty of deserving non-winners.
Koscheck has frosted tips.
Not true.
Not even close.
Plenty of 0-5’s with Bronze stars that didn’t even leave the base.
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
I hear that
Apparently that’s why the MOH is so rarely awarded… to the point that some wondered if it had become unofficially “posthumous-only.” (SSG Giunta’s disproved that, but DAMN.)
I could get into this for days
It really bothers me. My uncle just got one for his service in Nam, which he had no clue would happen and nobody ever thought it would. Mainly because Air guys who did fuck all ate up tons a medals for doing much less.
"Don’t quote old fucks to me" – Brent Brookhouse
No.
Navy Cross and Medal of Honor are both higher.
But it’s still really impressive.
I won my fantasy football leauge, so I'm kind of awsome...kind of.
Semper Fi'
Pain don't hurt...
Leben’s coach Burton Richardson had the following to say on BJPenn.com, “First, great job by Brian Stann. He never looked better. Many have commented that Chris was very slow and looked off last night. The truth is that Chris was sick. He had a fever and chills when he stepped into the cage. He was vomiting in the locker room before the fight, and after a hard warm up he didn’t have a drop of sweat. Big heart to fight like that, but he was moving slow motion. He was very sharp in training. He will be back”
Normally I’d call bullshit on all of this but I was in line for the weighins and at the MGM to get to the weighins all the fighters walk past you. Leben had his head down sunglasses on and had both of his arms draped over the shoulders of the two people with him and looking like he was struggling to make it.
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