UFC 97 Breakdown: The Main Card

Apr 15, 2009
Photo by Sherdog.com

Soszysnski makes a solid,
if unspectacular, gatekeeper.
Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Brian Stann

The Breakdown: A developing fighter who was badly exposed in his rematch with Steve Cantwell, Stann has emerged as a decent striker who has the power to mix it up effectively. The problem here is that Soszynski may have even more punching power than Stann, and he does not have to trade with Captain America redux to win. While Soszynski has no qualms about getting into firefights, his grappling is the high card Stann cannot match.

The X Factor: While Stann’s striking is far from fundamentally sound, Soszynski’s game consists of dropping his head and wading forward with overhand rights like a 5-year-old who refuses to take responsibility for where his punches land. The power and speed Soszynski dumps into the human windmill routine makes it effective, but Stann could thwart the tactic if he can work some angles and take away Soszynski’s base with leg kicks.

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The Bottom Line: Besides a willingness to trade punches, Stann has not shown much else. Soszysnski makes for a solid, if unspectacular, gatekeeper. Overall, Stann does not have the power or technique to make Soszynski back off, and even if he did possess them, there’s nothing stopping the chrome dome Pole from planting Stann on his back and turning this into a jiu-jitsu seminar.