The War Is Over for Stann, But the Battles Continue

Grenades, suicide vehicles, and mortar and sniper fire peppered Stann from the periphery. With the situation spiraling out of control, he ordered air and tank support to neutralize the threat. Seven kilometers to the south, fellow lieutenant and friend Gary Hess held his breath.

"You always hope for the best and you expect the worst," Hess said.

"Every day you listen to that radio, and you don't want to show any type of weakness around your men or show your men that you're worried. When I didn't hear him on the radio, and I knew that they were in a tough fight; that was always going through my mind."

With time, air and ground support dissolved the insurgents' organization. All 42 of Stann's men survived, with nine suffering injuries. Because of his valor under fire, Stann was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest honor for remarkable displays of courage on the battlefield.

"The thing that was going through my mind at that time was to continue to make the best decisions I could to keep my men safe and to accomplish the mission," Stann said. "As an officer, that's always your first concern.

"I don't think I ever had any doubts. I mean, yeah, there was certainly tons of adversity and a lot of chaos, but through all the things, I think we developed a genuine trust in each other."

Stann knows he will succeed, because he has constructed his fighting career from nothing.

Before starting his service, he had fought as an amateur but wanted to earn income for his passion. As Stann's first tour neared completion in the fall of 2005, he began researching professional MMA organizations. He flooded various groups' inboxes with pitches, telling them, "Hey, if I can fight for my country, trust me, whether I win or lose in a cage, I'm going to fight hard."

SportFight, an independent company founded in 2003, gave him his first chance. In January 2006, he won his initial match in 3 minutes 14 seconds. Intrigued by Stann's potential, WEC, which has the same rules as UFC but uses a smaller cage and focuses on the lighter weight classes, became interested and booked him to a one-fight deal to be held that June.

Stann made a lasting impression. He beat Miguel Cosio with a 16-second technical knockout, setting a record for the shortest fight in WEC's seven-year history.

"We were amazed, and we come to find out that he has this incredible story line," said Peter Dropick, WEC vice president of operations and production. "Then meeting him in person, he's just an incredible guy."

Stann knows he will succeed, because he has a story that sells.

In him, WEC officials have found a transcendent figure. They envision his military background enticing curious eyes from a spectrum of media markets and demographics. Versus, the network that has broadcast WEC events since June 2007, has filmed Stann for Memorial Day promotions, and commentators inevitably mention his story when he fights.

"With any sport, you're always looking for what makes this guy interesting to the fans," Dropick said. "You look at every sport, and they're always grabbing that angle of what happens outside the cage or off the field.

"It's important, especially with our sport, because it's a very new sport. . . . We're still educating the casual fan what mixed martial arts is all about and getting them to realize that it's a real sport, that it's safe, that it's not barbaric. To have someone like Brian really helps."

Stann knows he will succeed, because when he walks into the cage, everything will be perfect. He knows he alone will be responsible for his impending victory or defeat.

Sport, nothing more, defines his current existence. No matter the result, he finds peace in the realization that tomorrow will come.

"I'm not scared of getting beat," Stann said. "I'm not scared of getting hurt. I'm not going to lose legs. I'm not going to lose any limbs. I'm not going to have to call one of my guy's parents and let them know that their son is dead. It's obviously much easier. That's why it's a sport. War is obviously very real. At the end of a fight, the worst thing getting hurt is my pride. Nobody is going to die."