“Going there was kind of like a flashback,” he said. “And just going as a different person, too, going as an athlete and someone they look up to instead of just someone that they live with that ends up being their foster brother. It was a different experience. And I’ll tell you what, I was probably two, three times as nervous to talk to those kids than I’ve been to go out and get in a cage fight just because I really wanted to say the right thing. I wanted to be meaningful. I wanted to be honest. So on the bus ride there, I’m just racking my brain, ‘What can I say? How do I get through these kids?’
“And honestly, they were really cool and it’s just an amazing program there. It’s probably the best I’ve seen. And they’re having real results. I met a girl that was in a bad way, and now she’s on her way to become a nurse. So it was amazing to see. They really are making a difference. And obviously you can’t help everyone, but their success rate is astounding. And it’s really because of the people that work there and the people that volunteer there who really care. It was a really beautiful experience. I mean, I’m already trying to figure out how I can be more involved in that program because it was amazing for me. We get beat up on the little stuff, and here’s somebody that doesn’t have a home and was abandoned when they were a kid. And that really puts things in perspective and makes you kind of appreciate your life more and makes you realize how good you have it.”
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So good that Stamann was going to get on a plane to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to get into a fistfight with Luan Lacerda and about to get told that he’s going to die (in Portuguese) by an arena full of screaming fans on Saturday night. If that doesn’t take the good vibes out of your system, nothing will. Unless you’re a professional prizefighter like Stamman, who loves the whole idea of being the man in the black hat this weekend.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Honestly, I’m prepared for it. I’ve fought in enemy territory in places where I wasn’t a favorite, but not like this. I cornered my friend down there and I didn’t know what everyone was saying. So the fight’s starting, I turn to someone, and I’m like, ‘Hey, man, what are they chanting right now?’”
“Kill the playboy.”