205 lbs: Brian Stann vs. Steve Cantwell
The opening fight of the evening is a compelling Light Heavyweight rubber match between WEC veterans Brian “All American” Stann and Steve “The Robot” Cantwell. These two have met twice before in WEC, and each holds a TKO victory over the other. Now, they will bring their series to the sport’s biggest stage, and both men will certainly be looking to make an impression by pulling ahead two wins to one, especially since both men were defeated in their last contests.
Stann, a powerful striker who has earned all six of his career victories by first round TKO, fell to IFL veteran Krzysztof Soszynski in his UFC debut when he was forced to tap to a Kimura. Stann’s strength is definitely in his hands, which are fast and heavy. Unfortunately, his standup is really the only weapon he has, as his wrestling and ground game both leave a lot to be desired. If he wants to pull ahead of Cantwell and capture his first UFC win, he is going to have to push the action aggressively on his feet and try to put Cantwell away early by not allowing him to explore another game plan.
Cantwell, for his part, also has quite heavy hands, as Stann learned to his dismay in their last meeting. The difference is that Cantwell doesn’t depend exclusively upon his standup to win fights. He also has decent wrestling and a pretty good submission attack to complement his rough and tumble brawling style. Obviously, Cantwell has what it takes to stop Stann on the feet, since he did it last time. However, he has also fallen victim to Stann’s power in the past, so it might not be a bad idea for him to mix up his offense, not being afraid to strike but also mixing in some takedowns and submission attempts.
Ultimately, I think Cantwell’s ability to show Stann different looks is going to be the deciding factor here. Both guys have what it takes to end this fight on the feet, and have proven it. Cantwell, though, can safely assume that Stann is going to press the issue on his feet, while Stann is going to have to stay on his toes and worry about Cantwell’s ground attack as well.
That added consideration should provide openings for Cantwell, who will earn a second TKO victory over Stann in the second round.
