By Siri Karri

When it was announced that middleweights Brian Stann would fight Chael Sonnen, the MMA world waited with trepidation. Anyone who knows ANYONE about either fighter knows that trying to hype this fight is like to mixing oil and water.

Brian Stann is a man who can do no wrong and say no wrong. He is a decorated marine captain who won the Silver Star of Valor for keeping his squad of 42 marines alive for 6 days under 360 degree heavy fire.

In the cage he has progressed from straight up brawler to technical fighter with 3 straight finishes in the Octagon. Throughout all this he has remained unbelievably humble, offering all the credit in the world to his opponents even as they lay in a heap on the Octagon floor.

And then . . . there’s Chael Sonnen.

If there was a land speed record for trash talking, Chael Sonnen would be the Bugatti Veyron . . . only more insulting. In a past interview he, in the span of around 15 minutes, insulted the entire country of Brazil by implying they are so poor that they mistook buses for horses, said that Wanderlei Silva was so delusional that the UFC just didn’t want to let him go, and heavily implied that Anderson Silva winning in the final round by “wrapping his legs around his head” was more homosexual than anything. Sonnen doesn’t just fight fights; he sells them.

So you can expect the mother of all hype right? Sonnen, the perennial a-hole against the marine star captain, right?

Wrong.

Apparently Chael Sonnen heard about the work Stann did with Hire Heroes USA which helps find employment for military veterans. A couple of his buddies were having trouble finding a job, and Stann promptly offered help. Apparently the two were sitting rather close together at UFC 132, and they had nothing but mutual respect for each other. Stann also mentioned that Sonnen had actually done color commentary for him at a 2006 fight and that he had briefly gone to train with him at Team Quest which he cheerfully described as “mopping the mat up for them with [his] back”.

Personally, I’m very happy Chael Sonnen has restrained himself for Brian Stann and it’s nice to see him offer respect to someone other than fellow wrestlers. Whether this will cause problems to the UFC when they try to hype the fight, who knows? I have no doubt that fans will flock to see Stann regardless of whether or not Sonnen trashes him. For now, we know one thing for sure though:

Brian Stann has tamed Chael Sonnen’s mouth.