Brian Stann was stopped by former All-American wrestler Phil Davis at UFC 109.
Sounds like it was a tough night for Brian Stann on Saturday at UFC 109.
The former Marine officer squared off against Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis in Las Vegas and apparently got dominated by the wrestling specialist for much of the bout, losing a 30-27 unanimous decision.
I didn’t catch the fight, which apparently replayed during the pay-per-view lineup because the UFC’s need to fill time after a quicker-than-expected fight between Matt Serra and Frank Trigg. But most commentators and bloggers indicated that Davis was especially impressive in his UFC debut, using his ground skills to get Stann, more of a stand-up fighter, in bad positions on the mat for much of the fight.
Stann was gracious in defeat, and gave his Twitter followers two updates already since the fight:
tough night, phil did great, I am still standing tall and will be back, thank you all for your support!
Later, Stann invoked his Marine brothers and again vowed to keep his head up and continue fighting:
no matter how bad the beating we stand tall and move fwd, hanging my head would disgrace my men who sacrficed everything in battle …
Stann’s professional MMA record drops 8-3, and the loss made him 2-2 since joining the UFC. The Naval Academy grad will likely have to go back to the drawing board following this loss, which came against an opponent with only four pro fights under his belt and who was making his UFC debut. Stann’s ground game, always the weaker part of his skill set, was exploited by Davis and will need to improve dramatically, according to observers.
