By Kelsey Mowatt; photo courtesy Adrenaline Training Center
Canadian lightweight Sam Stout is preparing to sign a bout agreement to face Britain’s Paul Kelly, at UFC 126 on February 5th, which will set in motion his second fight with a British competitor in less than five months. Stout, who is coming off a split decision win over the United Kingdom’s Paul Taylor on October 23rd, expects Kelly to do the same.
“It looks like I’ll be fighting Paul Kelly,” Stout (16-6-1) told FCF today. “I just have to sign the bout agreement and fax it back in. Then it will be official.”
While both Kelly (11-3) and Taylor are two of Britain’s more accomplished lightweights, and both have forged reputations for being resilient and entertaining fighters, Stout believes the similarities end there.
“I think Taylor is a really good stand-up guy, a really good kickboxer; he obviously has a long reach,” said Stout when asked to compare the two fighters. “They do train together, so I’m sure there’s going to be a few similarities but I think Paul Kelly poses the biggest threat when it comes to his top control, his ground-and-pound. That’s his biggest asset.”
While Stout had to deal with Taylor’s 6’0 tall frame and his reach advantage in their memorable October clash, Kelly matches the Canadian’s height at 5’9.
“I think he’s not as experienced as a kickboxer and he doesn’t have that reach,” said Stout about Kelly, who is coming off a TKO stoppage of T.J. O’Brien on November 20th. “Guys with a long reach always give me a hard time so it will be nice to not have to deal with that. But I think Kelly is a bit stronger; he poses his own unique threats.”
The decision win over Taylor left Stout’s 2010 record at 2-1, as the Shawn Tompkins trained fighter earned a UD victory over Joe Lauzon in January, before losing by split decision to Jeremy Stephens at UFC 113 in May. Despite the fact that once again, Stout was involved in an entertaining and competitive fight that went to a narrow decision, the 26 year-old-fighter doesn’t think a rematch with Taylor is in order.
“I don’t think so,” Stout stated. “I know it was a close fight but I feel like I won the fight. I’ve been on both ends of close decisions and just because it was close doesn’t automatically mean you get a rematch.”
“When that fight was over I thought I won it decisively,” Stout added. “But when I went back and watched it I saw it was a lot closer than I originally thought. That’s what the judges are there for. I think sometimes there’s too much bitching and moaning about decisions. It happens; there’s no point complaining about it.”
While Stout will now focus his energy on the upcoming bout with Kelly in Las Vegas, the London, Ontario resident is quick to concede that he’s already looking forward to later in 2011, when the UFC comes to Toronto for the first time.
“Definitely,” said Stout. “It’s something I’ve never been able to do. It will be a dream come true for me to fight in Toronto. Through my whole career, all through my MMA career and kickboxing, I’ve never really fought in Ontario. So I’m pumped to get in there.”
