Photo by Nick Palmisciano
Between fighting and on-camera work for Fuel TV and Fox, how have you been handling your busy schedule?
It’s difficult for sure. On top of everything I have going, my third baby will be arriving in October, and I have my fulltime job working for Hire Heroes U.S.A. It’s just nonstop. I have a lot of great people around me, starting with my wife. They all support me and help me managed my schedule.
You’ve faced some of the best fighters in the sport. That being said, how do you plan to defeat the dog days of a Georgia summer?
I plan on handling them just fine. I love summertime and living in Atlanta—the weather is beautiful. My kids are out of school, and every night is a blast for me when I get home and spend time with my kids.
The southern humidity doesn’t take you into deep waters?
Not really. We have a pool in the neighborhood, and a quick jump in takes care of that.
How does Brian Stann celebrate The Fourth?
Normally, I’m organizing several fundraisers and golf tournaments for my organization and participating in those. This year, I will have to delegate some of those duties to my team at Hire Heroes because I’ll be traveling out to UFC 162 to do the weigh-ins and pre- and post-fight shows on Fuel TV. I’ll celebrate with some good fights in Las Vegas. That’s not a bad way to celebrate Independence Day.
Who is your favorite countryman from a historical point of view?
Man, that is a hard question because there are so many of them. I’ll go with Theodore Roosevelt.
If you could jump into the time machine and go back in American history, who is the one person you’d like to get your hands on?
Someone I’d love to fight? I have a lot of people right now, but you are asking about history, so let me think about it. I live in Atlanta, and although I’m not from here, I am very proud to live in this area. If I had the chance to get my hands on one guy in American history, it would be the man who shot Dr. Martin Luther King—James Earl Ray.
You’ve proven to be as tough as they come, but you are set to take on a new opponent…denim. Word on the street is you are working with Ranger Up to promote their new apparel line. What can fans expect to see from the endeavor?
Ranger Up has been a supporter since the beginning of my career. They were one of my sponsors with the WEC. When I moved over to the UFC, it became difficult for them to really work their business around the UFC sponsor and affiliate program. They helped me with my charities for years, and they are expanding their business and growing quickly. I’m now a spokesperson for the jeans. I’m happy to be affiliated with that company in any way, shape, or form. They are great people, on top of being extremely creative and very funny. It’s a different kind of partnership. They have made me get out of my comfort zone with some of the commercials we shot. People can definitely look forward to seeing a different side of me in some of the video shoots.
After your fight with Wanderlei Silva in March, you said your next step in MMA was uncertain. Have you decided what’s in your future yet?
Honestly, my next step is to continue the things I’ve been doing…just doing them more efficiently and better. The charity I’m running is growing quickly. The need for our services keeps growing, and I’m going to continue our efforts to meet those needs. As far as fighting, I don’t know what’s next. I haven’t had the opportunity to talk to the powers that be about that. I think I’m going to expand my analyst role a little bit this fall. I’ll continue to analyze fights, but I’m also going to call some football for the ACC and have some fun watching college football.
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