STOUT’S “QUEST” TO BE THE BEST

By Mike Russell

Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout had an epiphany on the night of June 4, 2006. Under the glare of the spotlight that had become a familiar omnipresence for the London, Ontario-based mixed martial artist, Stout (10-2-1) realized that he would need to round out his fight game if he would ever want to be a successful fighter in an organization like the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

This self-realization was punctuated by a tap-inducing rear-naked choke administered by “The Ultimate Fighter” alumnus Kenny Florian (4-3) at the reality TV series’ third season finale. In one minute and forty-six seconds, the 23-year-old fighter had made a decision that would necessitate the adoption of a different training approach. The world-class kickboxer would make it his mission to become a more complete fighter.

“I’ve spent all this time since my loss against Florian focusing on my wrestling a lot more and also trying to not end up in those bad situations that can lead to submissions,” says Stout.

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