Though it lacks the box office muscle of a typical trilogy, former World Extreme Cagefighting light heavyweight champions Steve Cantwell and Brian Stann will meet for the third time at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
Cantwell (7-2) has posted four wins in five fights, losing only to the world-ranked Luis Arthur Cane in that span. The 22-year-old Long Beach, Calif., native has finished all seven of his victories, four of them by submission, three of them by knockout or technical knockout. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt under Sergio Pehna, Cantwell stopped Stann on second-round strikes at WEC 35 in August.
A decorated combat veteran and member of the United States Marines, Stann (6-2) has dropped back-to-back bouts since opening his professional career with six consecutive victories. The 28-year-old last appeared at UFC 97 in April, when he submitted to a Krzysztof Soszynski kimura in his Octagon debut. Stann finished Cantwell in 41 seconds the first time the two met at WEC 26 in March 2007.
A lightweight showdown pairing “The Ultimate Fighter 5” winner Nate Diaz with the talented but troubled Melvin Guillard will headline UFC Fight Night 19, along with a 155-pound match between Gray Maynard and Roger Huerta.
UFC Fight Night 19
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Cox Convention Center
Oklahoma City
Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard
Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta
Carlos Condit vs. Chris Lytle
Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur
Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann
Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson
Jeremy Stephens vs. Justin Buchholz
Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle
Sam Stout vs. Kyle Bradley