There’s no place like home, and if anyone knows this, it’s Sam Stout.
The Canadian lightweight fighter is gearing up to fight in familiar territory: he faces American Jeremy Stephens at UFC 113 in Montreal, one of the more notoriously loud and energetic crowds in sports. But the Montreal fans don’t intimidate Stout, as he is well known in the metropolis. Early in his career, “Hands of Stone” fought in the Montreal-based league TKO, undefeated in 11 fights in the now-defunct organization. He is also no stranger to the bigger octagon scene in Montreal – namely, the UFC. He has fought in all three Canadian UFC cards (all have taken place in Montreal, Quebec), winning Fight of the Night in one of those fights.
A lesser person might crumble under the pressure; Stout is cool, calm and collected. “It’s a pretty cool feeling, having 22,000 people chanting your name. It lights a little fire in you and helps you push through the fatigue in the end of the fight.”
Stout has certainly been lighting it up, coming off two straight victories, one of which was his impressive win over Joe Lauzon at UFC 108. Despite the decisive win, Stout suffered criticism from those claiming that Joe Lauzon wasn’t at his best. Stout remains positive about his fight: “I think I fought him the right way”, claims the 26-year-old Canadian. “I hit him in the body, wore him down, and imposed my superior size on him. He never made any excuses. If he didn’t come in at 100% that’s not my fault.”
Nevertheless, thanks to “a spring in my step and snap in my punch” as a result of a few changes in his training camp, notably not overtraining, Stout secured the win and is now ready to face another tough challenger in the lightweight division, Jeremy Stephens. Stout deems his next opponent powerful and, though he will respect that power in the fight, feels confident he’ll find the openings to lock his third consecutive victory.
Stout remains grounded and focused a fighter. Despite a decent record of 15-5-1, he knows the recent pace in his last fights has to be maintained and the wins, more decisive. Of his last seven fights, six have gone to decision. Thus, vis-a-vis his position in the lightweight division, Stout remains modest: “I still need a few more strong performances. It’s not only winning but winning in impressive fashion.”
We will most likely see him deliver yet another strong and exciting performance for his legions of Canadian fans Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal. There are many reasons Sam aims to be the best and put on an amazing show, and we can expect him to honor all 22,000 of them.
