Brian Stann vs Steve Cantwell 3 set for UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16

by MMAmania.com on Jul 21, 2009 6:47 AM EDT

Former WEC light heavyweight champions Steve Cantwell (6-2) and Brian Stann (6-2) will duke it out in a rubbermatch inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 19 from the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 16.

The 205-pound match up, which was originally supposed to take place back in Dec. 2008, was today confirmed by the promotion.

Stann -- a former Marine who earned a Silver Star for valor while serving his country in Iraq — defeated Doug Marshall early last year to capture the WEC title. However, his reign atop the weight class was short lived (just five months later) thanks to Cantwell and a second round technical knockout.

In the process, Cantwell avenged the first loss of his career to the "All American" back in early 2007. He rebounded after the loss with a three-fight win streak, stopping all of his opponents to earn another shot at Stann.

Stann and Cantwell were brought over to the UFC when the WEC eliminated its heavier divisions in late 2009.

Both fighters have struggled a bit with the transition -- Stann dropped his Octagon debut to Krzysztof Soszynski via first round submission (kimura) at UFC 97 earlier this year. And Cantwell dropped a lopsided unanimous to Luis Arthur Cane on the same card; however, "Robot" did win his debut with a first round submission (armbar) over Razak Al-Hassan at UFC Fight For The Troops in Dec. 2008.

UFC Fight Night 19 features a main event between TUF 5 winner Nate Diaz tangling with Melvin "The Young Assassin" Guillard. It is also expected to feature a lightweight rumble between Roger "El Matador" Huerta and Gray "The Bully" Maynard.

It will serve as the lead-in for the upcoming tenth season of TUF, which features Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and a solid collection of 15 other heavyweight fighters competing in a tournament-style format to earn one "six-figure contract."

For all the latest news on UFC Fight Night 19 check out our complete archive right here.

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Comments

Good Match up for those two. They are still too green for any A level fighters and B level fighters already beat them both. At least they come to bang, so from a fan standpoint it won’t be boring.

by getrawbc on Jul 21, 2009 7:07 AM EDT reply actions

Cantwells should be a significant favorite this time. Brian’s weakness have been exposed on his feet and the ground. Unless Stann took a whole new approach to training since we last saw him, his days are numbered.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Jul 21, 2009 9:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Im sick of all these focking rematches. Cantwell IMO deserves better competition. He is a young stud, and I dont thin he should have to waste his time fighting against the most 1 dimensional stand up fighter in the UFC.

I would have prefered to see Cantwell vs. Brandon vera

by john G on Jul 21, 2009 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions

Agreed.

by OJR on Jul 21, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Cantwell impressed me in his losing effort vs Cane. Although he clearly lost the decision, I don’t agree that it was “lopsided” as the post article states. You can make the case right now that Cane is a top 10 LHWT. Cantwell probably deserves to fight someone a little higher in the food chain.

by CL on Jul 21, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m a Stann fan and really hope he’s learned to do more than trade punches.

by PW on Jul 21, 2009 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

yup, this makes no sense to me. Cantwell is an upper half LHW in the UFC and Stann has no business in the org. Waste of a matchup for Cantwell. This is def a lose and you are out fight for Stann. I think they are just giving him an opportunity to beat a good fighter 2 out of 3 to save his job….not gonna happen. Cantwell by any way he wants.

by Crowls on Jul 21, 2009 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Says something about the WEC’s now-defunct LHW division when two guys can go from main-eventing a WEC card with a title fight to rematching on the undercard of a FIGHT NIGHT card less than a year later. That said, Cantwell is an impressive fighter.

The WEC should scrap their LW division as well. Besides Varner and Cerrone, what’s the point. Zuffa already has the UFC LW division, just bring the best WEC LWs to the UFC and throw them in the mix.

Let the WEC specialize in elite 145 and 135 pound divisions – something not already being done bigger and better by their big-brother promotion.

by Jeremyjackson on Jul 21, 2009 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d rather see each of them go their own way in UFC. I could have seen (and have seen twice) this match up on WEC. If they both string together wins then set up the rubber match. They could build both of these fighters up if they wanted to. Both are marketable fighters. Give Stann a few cans that will stand and trade. Cantwell is too well rounded for Stann right now.

by wAyNe on Jul 21, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions

Is this Joe Silva’s week off?? Another rematch…wonderful

by McArthur on Jul 21, 2009 7:09 AM EDT reply actions

This was a good one, but the Franklin vs Hendo rematch?? I am still confused………

by Dragon on Jul 21, 2009 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah me too…they need a bigger fight than that to steal some thunder from the mayweather fight. this will probably have the lowest ppv buys all year.

by tiger_style on Jul 21, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions

You are right, only the hardcore mma fans will buy this card………..like me!!

by anyone on Jul 21, 2009 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

Hopefully Stann shows up for this fight. T He looked horrible their last fight. No cardio, no nothing.

by El Mexicutioner, formerly The Mexicutioner on Jul 21, 2009 7:35 AM EDT reply actions

Not a big fan of either of these two, Stann seems like a nice guy and has sacrificed a lot but is too one dimensional for the UFC while Cantwell is talented but an absolute idiot who needs to mature quickly if he’s going to have a future in MMA.

Saying that I wouldn’t call his defeat to Cane lopsided by any means, he performed well and the fight was a lot closer than I both hoped and expected. Cantwell should win this pretty easily if he takes Stann to the ground so Stann’s UFC career will be pretty short-lived.

by David W-S on Jul 21, 2009 8:11 AM EDT reply actions

Cantwell is only about 22. His maturity level is right in line with his age.

by PW on Jul 21, 2009 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions

Boasting about snapping someone’s arm on a card intended to raise money for injured troops is an incredibly immature thing to do whatever your age. I’m younger than Cantwell and I thought it was a stupid childish thing to do.

by David W-S on Jul 21, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t disagree at all about that nonsense, just saying he’s young and will grow out of those things. And given the amount of trashing he took after that, and deservedly so, I seriously doubt he’ll do anything like that again.

by PW on Jul 21, 2009 11:51 AM EDT up reply actions

True, the guy has talent he just needs to sort his head out as he has the potential to be a top 10 LHW. I just think that age is an easy excuse as any adult should have more sense than that.

by David W-S on Jul 21, 2009 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions

man i dont understand why do u think this is good and frank hendo not. im going to dallas and the fights are going to be sick

by bellio on Jul 21, 2009 8:29 AM EDT reply actions

Well mostly because the first fight sucked, also because Hendo should be getting a title shot at mw. If franklin wins then it fucks hendo out of a title shot and it really doesn’t do much for rich unless the fight is held at 205 lbs. Just seems like bad timing is all……..

by Dragon on Jul 21, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions

it is 205

by McArthur on Jul 21, 2009 8:58 AM EDT up reply actions

Well then there is no good that can come from this, if rich wins then hendo will probably lose his title shot, if hendo wins then it puts rich back at the bottom of the 205 heap.

by Dragon on Jul 21, 2009 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions

O and Stann vs. Cantwell is a rubber match, you gotta have a rubber match.

by Dragon on Jul 21, 2009 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions

2 more “warmup” fights I guess Tito won’t get

by McArthur on Jul 21, 2009 8:38 AM EDT reply actions

Hey Mac or anyone. I havnt been on here in a few days and I keep seeing tito’s name on all of the threads. Is there news of his possible return to the ufc?

by BOW on Jul 21, 2009 9:18 AM EDT up reply actions

Well dana had it on his twitter yesterday that him and tito made up and are no longer enemies, so most people are just assuming that tito will be back before too long.

by anyone on Jul 21, 2009 9:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Holy shit fn sweet! Huge tito fan! Thanks anyone

by BOW on Jul 21, 2009 10:03 AM EDT up reply actions

loser leaves town match?

by Toad on Jul 21, 2009 9:08 AM EDT reply actions

I believe so Toad. Esp. for Stann.

by robbyc on Jul 21, 2009 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions

not for cantwell. only stann. cantwell is legit

by Crowls on Jul 21, 2009 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

i wonder if this will be on the main card

by bryant on Jul 21, 2009 9:55 AM EDT reply actions

Don’t mean to nit-pick but Stann isn’t a “former” Marine – once a Marine, always a Marine ;)

Should be a good fight though. They’ve both progressed a lot and it’ll be good to see if Stann has worked on his game at all or if he’s still balls to the wall striking and hoping to KO.

by GreenStar on Jul 21, 2009 11:26 AM EDT reply actions

Is this a loser leaves time match? Slightly confused. Is it because they cant hang with UFC level guys?

On a side note…I think its fair to say that all the politics and opinions aside, the UFC is head and shoulders above everyone in terms of talent. Apart from a few key people, hardly any have come from the ‘big’ MMA promotions such as WEC, IFL, Elite XC, Cage Rage, Strikeforce, the Japanese orgs and alas, Pride et cetera that have been successful in UFC. And Affliction is basically being sold as UFC retirements and cast offs. Anderson Silva and Rampage, the obvious two successes, and even Silva’s Pride career was barely a couple of fights.
All the rest are basically an epic failure as far as actually competing for titles are concerned.
Who else has done well in other orgs and is a contender/champ in the UFC? (WWE doesnt count :-P)

Seems the UFC have the talent to spy the diamonds on the small circuits and snapping them up before they peak.

by UK_Chris on Jul 21, 2009 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

All of the current champs fought somewhere else before the UFC, I don’t get the question. GSP fought in Monreal before UFC. BJ fought all over the world while on break from the UFC. Machida fought elsewhere, Lesnar fought elsewhere once, and you already mentioned Silva.

by jay on Jul 21, 2009 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Read again.

“Seems the UFC have the talent to spy the diamonds on the small circuits and snapping them up before they peak.”

The point (I thought I made) was the top guys from the major promotions have done relatively badly when getting to the UFC, with only a few exceptions.

by UK_Chris on Jul 21, 2009 2:39 PM EDT up reply actions

what a freaking joke. I do have a DVR. If i wanted to see them fight I again i can watch it anytime. These meaningless rematches are really pissing me off. Cantwell deserves better comp. Stann probably should be let go for a while. He knows he’s a lil to green to be in the UFC at this point.
The only consolation is easy money on cantwell.

by naturalist on Jul 21, 2009 1:04 PM EDT reply actions

so many whiners here cantwell loss that means he is on same level in ufc as stann who loss .Yeah lets give cantwell a tough opponent like Vera so he can go 0-2 in the ufc think people think

by nelson on Jul 21, 2009 2:23 PM EDT reply actions