Brian Stann earned the Silver Star while commanding a Marine platoon in Iraq in 2005. (BrianStann.com)
Former Marine officer Brian Stann has been added to the card of UFC 109: Relentless on Feb. 6.
Stann, who earned a Silver Star for his actions while a platoon leader in Iraq, will face former NCAA wrestling champion Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis in a light heavyweight fight. Stann, 29, goes into the bout 8-2 as a pro fighter, including two straight wins in the UFC. Davis was a four-time NCAA All-American at Penn State, and won the 197-pound championship his senior year. He is 4-0 as a professional, and this will be his first UFC fight.
A non-title light heavyweight fight between Randy “The Natural” Couture and Mark “The Hammer” Coleman will headline UFC 109.
Stann is coming off a unanimous decision victory against Rodney Wallace at The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale on Dec. 5. During his time in the WEC and UFC, Stann has developed a reputation as a powerful puncher who is most comfortable fighting on his feet. Judging by Davis’ extensive wrestling background, this will be another fight Stann will try to keep from going to the ground.
For whatever it’s worth, here’s Phil Davis’ MMA debut … all 34 seconds of it. Pay close attention, or you’ll miss the jab that KOs his opponent.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOZXpwf8CzQ[/youtube]Also, according to Stann’s Twitter page, the Marine Corps is now an official sponsor of the UFC, and he’ll soon be filming a commercial shoot with UFC president Dana White. We’ll try to bring you more details on this soon.
