Before rushing to conclusions based on the headline, middleweight Tom Watson (16-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC) isn't saying he wants to fight Brian Stann next time out in the UFC.
But every fighter has a fantasy fight. Watson's involves a lot of blood, more action than Griffin vs. Bonnar I, and, of course, his raised hand.
And surprisingly, Watson told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio) that his sometime teammate would make a perfect opponent for this scenario.
"If you went back a few years, I'd probably pick Wanderlei (Silva)," he said. "Nowadays, there's so many guys in my division that would fight like that. Right now, I'd probably take Brian Stann.
"I'm pretty good buddies with him. I think we'd throw down pretty good."
Watson wouldn't even mind training alongside Stann at Jackson-Winkeljohn's MMA, where they've already exchanged plenty of sweat and probably some blood. They wouldn't have to split head coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
"I really don't think he'd care, either," Watson said. "I think a lot of guys get carried away with it, and it's only an issue to me if the other guy has a problem. Some guys don't and some guys do."
Watson, who now trains at UFC middleweight Mark Munoz's gym, Reign Training Center, isn't exactly lacking in exciting fights. After his most recent bout, which came against Stanislav Nedkov at UFC on FUEL 7, UFC President Dana White gushed over his second-round TKO and informed him he was trending on Twitter. He and Nedkov banked an extra $50,000 for "Fight of the Night," and in a double bonus, he took home $50,000 for "Knockout of the Night."
Yet the British middleweight remains critical of his showing in the UFC.
"As a fighter, you're never going to be happy," Watson said. "If you're not a perfectionist, you're trying to attain the highest performance. I'm happy with it, but the reality is I'm 1-1 in the UFC. I've got to take some more scalps."
Watson did, in fact, stumble in his octagon debut, losing a split call to Brad Tavares at UFC on FUEL TV 5. Prior to that, he'd won three straight and boasted wins over Murilo Rua, Matt Horwich and John Maguire.
After he receives medical clearance for an elbow banged up in his fight with Nedkov, Watson aims to fight in June. There's still plenty of time to fulfill his fantasy, even if it doesn't come against the best candidate.
Source: MMAJunkie.com