LAS VEGAS -- Winning streaks die hard in the UFC. Just ask Chris Leben, who thought he was about to join the middleweight title picture with a fourth straight win on Saturday night, only to find himself splayed across the canvas after Brian Stann was through with him.While Stann was once a WEC champion, the knockout win over Leben was something of a star-making performance, a violent announcement of himself as a potential contender.
It's a division that needs more talent, and beating Leben at UFC 125 will definitely open some eyes about Stann's potential.
Afterward, Stann said he hoped the KO was the start of a big 2011, with the goal of breaking on to the list of elite middleweights during the calendar year.
"I'm in this to fight the best," Stann said. "I don't want any question marks left behind when my career and my time in this sport is over. And so, whoever I need to fight to be in the top 10 in world is who I want to fight next. That's my No. 1 goal for 2011, is to be a top 10 middleweight in the world and work my way to a title shot. So whoever the UFC feels that is, let's do it."
For Stann (10-3) it was a second straight win at middleweight after dropping down from his former home as a light-heavyweight.
Stann essentially made the fight with Leben himself, asking the UFC to match him up with an athlete he referred to as "the toughest guy in the UFC."
The TKO finish put Stann in good company. The only other fighter to finish Leben by the same method was current UFC champ Anderson Silva, who knocked out in Leben in his debut, back in June 2006.
As for what might be next for Stann, he said he hoped he wouldn't get another wrestling specialist after running through three straight bfore the Leben fight.
When asked for a specific opponent he might be targeting, Stann prefaced his answer saying he had deep respect for the man he would name, and then he threw out the name of a legend.
"I think I'd like to fight Wanderlei [Silva] next," he said. "He's a guy that I've watched for years. Before I ever put a glove on. He's amazing. He's as tough as they come, as good as they come, and a multiple weight champion. I think I'd like to fight him next, but I'll be prepared for anybody."
Get the latest gear
