Heart for the Fight: A Marine Hero's Journey from the Battlefields of Iraq to Mixed Martial Arts Champion
320
Heart for the Fight: A Marine Hero's Journey from the Battlefields of Iraq to Mixed Martial Arts Champion
320eBookBIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military (BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military)
Related collections and offers
Overview
Heart for the Fight is the story of Brian Stann, a kid from the wrong side of Scranton who made it to the Naval Academy, played linebacker for the Navy football team, became a Marine officer, graduated first in his infantry officer class, led his men in two intense combat tours in the Anbar Province of Iraq, received the Silver Star for gallantry, and emerged as one of the most interesting figures in the mixed martial arts (MMA) professional circuit. A former light-heavyweight champion in the WED (World Extreme Cagefighting), he also fought in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), the “big leagues” of mixed martial arts.
Praise for Heart for the Fight
“Brian Stann has a remarkable story to tell and Heart for the Fight is a worthwhile read for those interested in the Iraq War or Stann’s MMA career.” —Los Angeles Times
“After reading [Stann’s] book, Heart for the Fight, the only word that will come to your mind about Brian Stann is respect. This is an autobiography about a man who has been through and seen so much more than the average American citizen . . . When you finish reading this book, it becomes evident that ‘All-American’ is not just his MMA nickname, it’s exactly what he is.” —Bleacher Report
“Reason to Read: Stann is a badass. There’s just no other way to describe him. If he never wins another fight in the Octagon, he’ll still be a badass. The man led his troops through two intense combat tours and received a Silver Star for gallantry. Now, he fights for the UFC and works as Executive Director of HireHeroes USA, a link to job opportunities for servicemen and women.” —FightMagazine
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781616739898 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Quarto Publishing Group USA |
| Publication date: | 08/31/2023 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 320 |
| Sales rank: | 850,866 |
| File size: | 7 MB |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Prologue 1
Part I Confidence
1 The Man in the Arena 15
2 Rematch 25
3 Reality Check 31
Part II Resolve
4 I-Day 37
5 Plebe Summer 45
6 No Effort without Error 57
7 Great Devotions 67
8 Seventy to Seven 73
9 Stumbles 83
10 The Leadership Factory 89
11 Errors and Shortcomings 103
Part 111 The Wild West
12 360-Degree Firefight 111
13 Hard Road South 125
14 Midnight Run 131
15 Slow Motion Nightmare 139
16 A Night of Heroes 151
17 Siege at Ramana Bridge 161
Part IV Reinvention
18 The Fifth Stage 179
19 Invitation to Albuquerque 195
20 The Scarlet Letter 209
21 One Mind: Any Weapon 221
22 Benchwarmer's Guilt 231
23 The Birthplace of Character 243
24 Rumble in the Rose Garden 253
25 Triple Six 259
26 Title Shot 265
27 Warrior to Warrior 275
Part V Redefinition
28 Gut Check 283
29 The Passing of an Era 295
Acknowledgments 308
What People are Saying About This
Fight Magazine
Brian Stann knows a thing or two about fighting—he’s been doing it the last 29 years. From fighting off gangs as a kid to serving as a Marine Officer in the Middle East to stepping into the Octagon, Stann has chewed some steel. His new book, Heart for the Fight, documents his trials and tribulations.
Reason to Read: Stann is a badass. There’s just no other way to describe him. If he never wins another fight in the Octagon, he’ll still be a badass. The man led his troops through two intense combat tours and received a Silver Star for gallantry. Now, he fights for the UFC and works as Executive Director of HireHeroes USA, a link to job opportunities for servicemen and women.
Ground and Pound (Vancouver Sun MMA blog)
“Heart for the Fight is a heckuva read that takes you from Stann's rough and tumble childhood years to college football glory, the front lines in Iraq and a WEC title. Definitely worth the cover price - a surprisingly insightful and interesting read.”
Brawl Sports (Houston Chronicle)
Fighter autobiographies are nothing new, but Heart for the Fight stands alone. His story is completely unique, but it's a willingness to open up and identify his own flaws and his own emotions that separates Stann from the crowd. It's a must-read and a valuable look at one of the good guys in the MMA world.
About.com
Sport biographies are often predictable and tend to focus on athletic prowess. Duh, right? Perhaps that's what makes the majority of these stories boring to me...I've heard it all before. Which is why Heart for the Fight was such a refreshing read. You see, Heart for the Fight tells the story of former WEC champion Brian Stann, and it's hardly about MMA alone. In fact, I wouldn't even call this a book about an MMA fighter specifically. Rather, it's the story of war hero that's already done more with his life than most…
Think about that: Stann made it through tough times in Scranton, played football for Navy, served his country as a platoon commander in Iraq, and now fights professionally in MMA. That's a book by itself. Add in his relationship with his wife and some controversy surrounding allegations made by a woman and you have one gripping page turner.
Heart for the Fight is one of the better sports biographies I've read in a long time because it's not all about sports—it's about the heroic spirit of a man that has done more in his short time on earth than many do in a lifetime. Don't pick this book up if you're looking for a cookie cutter story on an MMA athlete. Rather, pick it up if you want to be inspired. I highly recommend it.
UltimateFighter.com
Heart for the Fight, Brian Stann’s story of how he went from Navy football player to U.S. Marine to UFC fighter, is like no other sports book you’ll ever read. And no, that’s not hyperbole.
In a sense, it should go without saying that Stann’s book would stand out from the pack. After all, it’s hard to think of another athlete, in any sport, who’s seen and done what Stann has.
However, it’s not just that Stann has a remarkable story. It’s that it’s told in a remarkable way.
Where most professional athletes work with a sportswriter when putting their stories in print, Stann opted for John R. Bruning, a professional military historian. With Bruning’s help, Stann has crafted a memoir that reads like a movie, complete with plot twists, foreshadowing, and most of all, well executed non-linear storytelling.
…while fans may pick up Heart for the Fight for the MMA content, it’s the stories from Iraq that resonate the most, and this is as it should be. As Stann states at several points during the book, the Marines he fought with in Iraq—both those who died, and those who came home with him—are the driving force behind his MMA career, and any understanding of who Stann is as a fighter has to include the horrors he endured in Iraq.
Today, Brian Stann fights in the UFC, an organization known around the world with its slogan, ‘As Real As It Gets.’ However, as Heart for the Fight shows, more so than anyone who has stepped into the Octagon, Brian Stann has lived those words.
“Respect is a quality that is earned over time. Respect is given those who put others in front of themselves, to people who do tasks that others would shy away from, and to those who work tirelessly in order to provide for themselves and their family. After reading his book, Heart for the Fight, the only word that will come to your mind about Brian Stann is respect. This is an autobiography about a man who has been through and seen so much more than the average American citizen…When you finish reading this book, it becomes evident that ‘All-American’ is not just his MMA nickname, it's exactly what he is.” - Bleacher Report, September 7, 2010