Brian Stann gunning for Michael Bisping upon UFC return

I'm starting to think Brian Stann lost a family member in the Revolutionary war.

By my count, this is the third time the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight contender has made it clear he wants a crack at British bad boy Michael Bisping, who just so happens to share the injured reserves with the U.S. Marine and will likely return to action at the same time as the "All American."

But is UFC matchmaker Joe Silva listening?

Stann was a little perturbed at "The Count's" assessment of his UFC 136 loss to Chael Sonnen, where he was labeled a "white belt" who was "exposed" after quickly succumbing to an arm-triangle choke. That led to this heated retort. A couple of month's later, Stann once again targeted a Bisping fight as a way to get himself "in the mix."

Now, the former light heavyweight tells MMA Weekly that even though Bisping is calling out the scrotum of Alan Belcher, fighting him is a "better storyline" that would "attract more attention."

Those comments after the jump.

"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 and that would be a great honor to put that fight on for the fans. 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."

Bisping was booked to throw hands opposite Tim Boetsch at the UFC 149 pay-per-view (PPV) event next month in Calgary, but blew out his knee and was forced to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

Coincidentally, Stann suffered a grade two separation of his right AC joint (thanks, Shawn Jordan) while training for Hector Lombard at UFC on FOX 4. The injury, which didn't require surgery, was severe enough to keep him out of the cage until September.

Well, how about it fight fans? Is it time to finally see these two 185-pound strikers and longtime UFC veterans face off inside the Octagon? And who takes home the "W" if they do?