UFC 136 Fight Card: Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann, Breakdown and Prediction

On August 7, 2010, Chael Sonnen earned his first major championship in MMA, even if he doesn’t have a belt to show for it.

After 27 minutes and 50 seconds of grueling action, Sonnen was submitted by UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva after dominating Silva with ruthless ground and pound for every minute prior to the finish.

Sonnen did not leave Oakland, California with the UFC gold, but he did walk out as the newly-crowned people’s middleweight champion.

Unfortunately, several incidents (including a drug testing violation and a money laundering conviction) have kept Sonnen on the shelf for over a year. His rematch with Silva for the middleweight crown was cancelled and now the brash contender must earn his second chance at redemption.

Tonight, Sonnen defends that people’s title and his No. 1 contender status against “All American” Brian Stann at UFC 136.

It’s an interesting clash of styles that seemingly pits the division’s toughest competitors up against each other in what Sonnen describes as a battle between “Iron Man and Captain America."

The Favorite

Stann is a former Marine Captain and Silver Star recipient. He is currently unbeaten in the middleweight division and fresh off two destructive knockout wins over Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago, but he is still perceived as a massive underdog against Sonnen.

Sonnen is favored for various reasons heading into this matchup, but it is primarily due to his overwhelming wrestling base and John Wayne-esque toughness.

We have seen Stann struggle in the past against wrestlers, such as Phil Davis, who were able to take the ex-Marine down at will and control from the top position. As a former Oregon State All-American, this is a department that Sonnen excels in.

The Intangibles

Even though Stann has displayed a wrestling deficiency in the past, we also cannot ignore the improvements he has made since joining Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This isn’t to say that Stann might be able to stuff Sonnen’s takedowns, because a Tyrannosaurus Rex wouldn’t even be able to stay on its feet against Sonnen.

However, Sonnen has always neglected the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aspect of the fight game, and this is something that Stann might be able to capitalize on with his new bag of tricks from Jackson and Co.  

One thing that also has to be taken into consideration is the fact that Sonnen hasn’t fought since UFC 117, over a year ago. Ring rust isn’t a myth, it’s something that is very real and could happen to any fighter who has been inactive for a long period of time.

Sonnen has never been knocked out before, but any man that comes back from a year layoff and takes a solid shot to the jaw from Stann is sure to see their head disconnected from their shoulders.

Stann has the power in his hands to drop any middleweight standing across from him, and that includes Sonnen.

The Prediction

With a fight of this magnitude between two tough-as-nails competitors, anything could happen at any given time.

Stann could swarm on Sonnen early and, essentially, shock the world with a first-round stoppage. Stann could even catch Sonnen off guard with a submission from his back, much like Anderson Silva and several other opponents of Sonnen’s past.

The key term in those two sentences is “could." Sure, it “could” happen, but a more likely scenario is Sonnen consistently putting Stann on his back en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Sonnen has been submitted eight times throughout his MMA career, but Stann does not possess the ground game necessary to become number nine on that list.

The reality is, as tough and dangerous as Stann is, he is simply a very good stylistic matchup for Sonnen. Perhaps Stann can prove that theory wrong, but if you’re betting snacks on this fight, put a box of Nutter Butters on Chael Sonnen.

Chael Sonnen by unanimous decision.

Mitch Ciccarelli is the sexiest featured columnist on B/R MMA and a United States Airman. Follow Ciccarelli on Twitter @mitchciccarelli

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