Stann destroys Marshall in first round
March 26th, 2008, 11:39 pm · Post a Comment · posted by CARLOS ARIAS
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There was no way this one was going five rounds.
Everybody that took a look at WEC light-heavyweight champion Doug “The Rhino” Marshall’s title defense against Brian Stann knew this was going to end inside the distance.
It was a matter of which heavy-handed fighter landed the first big shot.
Stann, the U.S. Marine war hero, ended up being that guy.
Stann caught Marshall with a perfectly placed left hook during a wild exchange and it was over at 1:35 of the first round.
Stann still is a baby in his mixed martial arts career, but he had championship gold around his waist after knocking out Marshall in the first round to claim the WEC light-heavyweight championship belt on Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Versus.
Marshall was cautious from the opening bell, respecting Stann’s size and reach advantages. Both fighters attacked with leg kicks, but Stann was more effective with his punches from outside.
After a clinch along the fence, Marshall opened up and unleashed a flurry of punches. It looked like he was seizing the momentum until Stann countered with a left hook that leveled Marshall.
Stann pounced, but Marshall was already out. Referee Herb Dean stepped in and halted the beating at 1:35 of the opening round.
Stann, of Scranton, Pa., improved to 6-0, while Marshall, of Vislaia, dropped to 7-3.
In the semi-main event, Team Quest’s Chael Sonnen (22-9-1), who was supposed to face WEC middleweight champion in a rematch, completely outclassed Bryan Baker (6-1) of West Covina en route to a three-round unanimous decision victory.
Filho pulled out of the fight because he checked himself into rehab because of a substance-abuse problem. Baker took the fight on short notice and took a beating. Sonnen battered and bloodied Baker over three one-sided rounds. The judges scored it 30-26, 30-25 and 30-25 in favor of Sonnen.
Lightweight Marcus Hicks (8-0) of Dallas, Tex., dominated the standup and eventually got Ed Ratcliff (6-1) of San Diego to tap out on his third guilllotine choke attempt at 1:42 of the first round.
Light-heavyweight Steve Cantwell (5-1) of Las Vegas submitted Tim McKenzie (11-5) of Stockton with a rear-naked choke at 2:13 of the first round.
Former lightweight title-challenger Richard Crunkilton (18-2) of New Smyrna Beach, Fla., used his superior wrestling skills, takedowns and submission attemts and ground-and-pound to secure a three-round unanimous decision over Sergio Gomez (7-2) of Milwaukee, Wis.
All three judges had Crunkilton winning, 30-26, 30-27 and 29-28.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Hiromitsu Mirua def. Blas Avena, KO, punches, 2:35, Round 1
Brock Larson def. John Alessio, DQ, knee to downed fighter, 1:50, Round 1
Alex Serdyukov def. Ryan Stonitsch, submission, triangle choke, 1:35, Round 1
Kenji Osawa vs. Chris Manuel, 3-round split draw
Logan Clark def. Scott Harper, TKO, strikes, 4:37, Round 1
CARLOS ARIAS/The Register
