Marine Corps veteran Brian Stann added another line to his impressive resume this month, as the Silver Star recipient, mixed martial arts champion, UFC and college football commentator, Hiring Heroes CEO and real-estate executive rejoined the cage-fighting club via the front office of the Professional Fighters League. Stann will serve as head of the fighters and competition/rules committee for the PFL, playing a key role in the organization’s plans to become a “fighters first” league, according to a news release. A PFL primer for non-MMA addicts: The group will kick off what amounts to a series of yearlong tournaments next month,…
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Ten quick hits’ worth of military-related sports news before Congress tries to make all the academy football teams wear the same uniform (non-football news after the jump): 1. Bobsled-bound? Option quarterbacks need to be versatile, but former Army signal-caller Trent Steelman is taking things to a new level. Already under contract with the Baltimore Ravens, Steelman’s now in the running for a spot on the U.S. Olympic bobsled team, according to Army football guru Sal Interdonato. Steelman’s father told Interdonato that the Army officer performed well in the U.S. Bobsled Combine recently and will be participating in further qualifying events…
Forget the Navy — if you want to see the world, join the UFC. Former Marine Brian Stann will fight his third consecutive bout outside the U.S. on March 3, traveling to Saitama Super Arena, north of Tokyo, to face Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva in a 205-pound headliner for UFC on FUEL TV 8, according to our good friends at MMAJunkie.com. It’s a one-time-only return light heavyweight, the former WEC 205-pound champ tweeted early Thursday morning. (He’ll be fine for the cut back down to middleweight; he knows a guy.) More from the MMAJunkie report: It’s a homecoming of…
Five quick shots of military-themed MMA news. 1. Kennedy’s next fight. Army sniper Tim Kennedy will return to the ring Nov. 3 in Oklahoma City to face Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith under the Strikeforce banner, our good friends at MMAJunkie report. Kennedy (14-4) fell to Luke Rockhold in a Strikeforce middleweight title fight in July and looks to rebound against Smith, whose 10-2 record includes nine wins by submission. Smith dropped his last Strikeforce fight to Gian Villante in 65 seconds via TKO, but that was at the 205-pound class; he and Kennedy will square off at 185 pounds. 2.…
A dirty dozen military-themed sports links from a busy weekend (non-MMA notes after the jump): 1. Kennedy recap. Special Forces soldier Tim Kennedy lost in his second try at the Strikeforce middleweight title Saturday night in Portland, Ore., falling to Luke Rockhold via five-round unanimous decision — the same way he lost his 2010 title bout against Rolando “Jacare” Souza. Read the After Action review, with video, here. Click here for full coverage from our good friends at MMAJunkie. 2. Now what? Read Sherdog’s suggestions for Kennedy’s next fight, including what could be a make-or-break rematch with Souza. 3. From…
Five quick military-sports hits for a Monday morning: 1. Who gets ‘The Count’? While the smack talk between former Marine Capt. Brian Stann and Michael “The Count” Bisping has reached impressive proportions, it’s important to remember the proposed September middleweight clash between the two is still just that — proposed. Bisping’s initial blast called out both Stann and Alan Belcher, whose 18-6 record includes a four-fight win streak dating back to mid-2009. As usual, there’s no shortage of opponents eager for a piece of the controversial Bisping, and Belcher wants to be at the front, telling our good friends at…
A half-dozen quick hits for a Monday morning (non-wrestling news after the jump): 1. Big time for the little guy. Army Sgt. Spenser Mango recently had his turn as the feature subject of “100 Olympic Hopefuls in 100 Days,” a series put together by our good friends at USA Today. Click over to read about the Greco-Roman Olympian’s path into the Army World Class Athlete Program, his Army duties when he’s not wrestling or training, and how much weight he has to cut to make the 55-kilogram (121-pound) limit. 2. Lester’s homecoming. Mango may have received the national press, but…
It’s official – Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy will step back into the mixed-martial arts ring for another shot at the Strikeforce middleweight title. Kennedy will fight reigning champ Luke Rockhold July 14 in Portland, Ore. Kennedy, a decorated Special Forces soldier who is now serving in the Texas Army National Guard, has a 14-3 record. During his last fight, in July, Kennedy defeated Robbie Lawler by unanimous decision. Rockhold holds a 9-1 record, and according to MMAjunkie.com, he is looking for his second successful title defense since narrowly winning the belt from Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and then defending it…
Three quick hits to feed your Friday combatives needs. 1. He’s Ron Burgundy? If you’re under a rock, you may have missed this week’s bulletin that Will Ferrell will return to the newsdesk in a sequel to “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” (If you’re under a rock and don’t watch TBS, here’s the official announcement, complete with jazz flute). What’s this have to do with combatives, aside from the close-combat skills exhibited when Brick killed that guy? Allow champion MMA tweet-sender Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy to explain: I know everyone is talking about @_RonBurgund and ANCHORMAN 2. Wait…
From our friends at Battle Rattle: FUEL TV has posted the Brian Stann profile that aired last night. In it, the former Marine officer turned pro MMA fighter recounts his time in Iraq, including a six-day battle for which he was awarded the Silver Star. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvZLzRORHYc[/youtube]
