Brian Stann accepts the challenge of Michael Bisping
UFC middleweight slugger, Brian Stann has seemingly beat Alan Belcher to the punch by accepting the challenge laid down by UK stand-out, Michael Bisping, adding both men have known the two will meet inside the octagon for a while now so why not make it UFC 152.
Speaking via MMAWeekly.com, Stann said:
“I think that’s a fight that I need to jump at because he’s obviously ranked higher than I am. He’s a guy that’s right up there in the mix for a title shot, which is what we all want. Of course I want to fight Michael Bisping. He’s a star in the UFC, he makes big time money, he’s got everything that everybody else wants, and he’s earned it. So I want to take that. I saw the interview and I know my shoulder will be ready for Sept. 22 in Toronto (UFC 152) and that would be a great honor to put that fight on for the fans.”
“I could care less. I’ve had fights where they talk; I’ve had fights where they don’t talk. I bury my head in the sand with my family and I just train for fight. I could care less about the attention, the fame, etc. He gets a lot of it and that’s part of the game. I want him because he’s a very good fighter, he’s very close to a title shot and I was close to a title shot as well and that’s what I want to get to. I know I’ve gotten better in the last seven or eight months. I went up to Oregon to train with Chael Sonnen to prove to myself how much better I’ve gotten and I know I can compete with anybody.”
“He’s the biggest star in England and with my background here in America, it’s just a fitting storyline going into a fight. Alan Belcher’s a fantastic fighter, he’s a great guy, but I just personally think the fight between me and Bisping would attract more attention. Me and Mike have been in the same location on several occasions and we’ve both known this fight was coming and so I think we’ve just purposefully avoided getting to know one another because we know this fight is eventually going to happen. Why make nice with each other until after we’ve fought?”
Stann rebounded from a loss to Chael Sonnen late last year when he returned to the octagon just a few months ago to stop Italian heavy hitter, Alessio Sakara in the very first round in Stockholm, Sweden. Stay tuned to MMABay for more on this as we get it.
By Michael Pepper. (Follow me on Twitter)
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