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Brian Stann on ethics, what it takes for a mind to break, insecurities & more

Published Nov. 4, 2015 11:29 a.m. ET

Elias Cepeda

On the latest episode of the It's Time podcast, with Bruce Buffer and TJ DeSantis, retired UFC star and U.S. military combat veteran Brian Stann appears for a fascinating and earnest discussion on a host of important subjects. During the conversation, Stann talks about war drafts, stolen valor and other ethical issues.

Considering his own accomplished career in the military, Stann showed a great deal of empathy for those out there who pretend they were in the military. Stann recalled his time right before and after graduating from the Naval academy with a chuckle.

"I couldn't go into a bar without meeting a Navy Seal," he laughed.

"They were just always around."

Stann says that even those who actually did serve in military forces can fall prey to the temptation to lie and aggrandize themselves. Heck, the former WEC champ says that even professional fighters can make that very human mistake.

"You get it all the time. And, look -- you get people that served that like to tell these wild stories as well, and you can call them on it. You get that in the fight game, too. It's human nature," he explained.

"We all have some level of insecurity, and that's part of today's culture, too, with Facebook and Twitter. We're all sitting there in the sea of social media and trying to think of something we can send out there and get these people to approve of it, and make us feel good about ourselves.

"It's no different than that person in the bar out there trying to fake something ... we've got a legitimate mental health problem in this country."

To listen to the full and quite interesting conversation with Stann, press 'play' above, or listen to It's Time on iTunes!

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