Matt Brown

 

Matt Brown Interview

Hi Matt,

Thank you for taking the time to sit down with MMABay and answer a few of our questions:

MMABay - Firstly, you’re just weeks away from what many are saying is the biggest fight of your career to date, a UFC 111 clash with Ricardo Almeida. How is your camp coming along?

Brown - Very well so far. I'm healthy, I'm strong, my cardio is strong, and I got the right people around me to get me to where I need to be.

MMABay - You were involved in a gruelling twelve and a half minute scrap with James Wilkes last time out…did you have any injuries coming out of that fight, or has it been plain sailing?

Brown - Just the normal bumps and bruises of a fight.

MMABay - UFC 105 was your first fight outside of the US; how was your experience in the UK? From where we were sitting you got a good reaction from the crown after the win, despite fighting a British fighter – were you affected by the crowd at all?

Brown - The crowd had no affect on me, it never does. In all reality, even if crowds boo you or cheer you in the end they just want to see a great fight and I think me and Wilks accomplished that.

MMABay - Most UFC fans will know you from your time as a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter. Obviously that’s a great opportunity for any fighter, but do you feel that being labelled as a ‘TUF guy’ is a blessing or a curse? With three wins since the show, do you feel that you’ve grown beyond the TUF label now?

Brown - I don't mind being labelled a "TUF" guy. The reason that fighters are labelled this way are because a lot of the fighters from the show are unproven or lose in the UFC. I do believe that I went beyond that label after my fight with Dong Hyun Kim as most people didn't give me a chance in that fight and we had a very close fight. If he would have dominated me, then I would most likely be labelled as nothing but a "TUF" guy now in my opinion.

MMABay - It’s two years since you went into the house; can you tell us about how things have changed for you since 2008?

Brown - Everything has changed. I can't even scratch the surface of how everything has changed. My life is better, my training is better, I am more confident as a fighter, and most importantly I have a better future to look forward to.

MMABay - It’s been well documented that you endured some bad times prior to becoming famous as a UFC fighter; do you think the strength from overcoming those situations has help you when training and fighting in MMA?

Brown - My past has definitely given me more courage and strength. The toughest guy to fight is the guy that has nothing to lose, and I always feel like I have nothing to lose because I came from nothing. This has given me the courage to take risks and be afraid of nothing in the cage. I am not afraid of losing. I do not like losing, I do everything in my power to win, but I will not hesitate to take a big risk and put it on the line when the time comes. The only way to get a big reward is to take a big risk.

MMABay - As the seasons roll by, more and more cast members on TUF admit to ‘acting-up’ in order to get noticed. You were undoubtedly one of the more popular guys from Season 7 with fans, and Dana White, who spoke highly of your ‘no-nonsense’ attitude and fighting style at the time. Did you feel any pressure to ‘act up’ during the show to get noticed?

Brown - I never felt any pressure to act up. When I look at the biggest stars of the sport, the majority of them (not all, but the majority) do the talking in the cage. This is how I expect myself to be. I am a martial artist. I live my life as a martial artist and that requires discipline honour and respect. I will not sell my soul and be someone I am not in order to make a dime. I will fight and train as hard as I can everyday to achieve my goals. If this is not enough, then I'll find a different profession.

MMABay - You were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the eventual winner Amir Sadollah; how long after the show did you find out that you had a UFC contract anyway?

Brown - I honestly don't remember.

MMABay - Speaking of Amir, he’s recently bounced back from a long injury and a knockout loss; is that a rematch you’d be interested in somewhere down the road?

Brown - Amir and I became friends on the show and have been friends ever since. He was the first person I ever fought that I liked as a friend before fighting them. After going through that, I realized it isn't as bad of a thing as I thought it would be. I would not pursue this rematch, but I would not turn it down either if Amir agreed to it.

MMABay - There was a lot of controversy surrounding the ending of your fight with Pete Sell last year. Clearly referees have an incredibly difficult job; but what is your take on the general state of officiating in MMA? Is there more that could be done?

Brown - The only thing I wish they would change is that if a referee makes such a bad mistake, he should be cut, suspended, fined, or something. In any other profession, when you mess up you pay for it in one way or another. Oddly enough, it seems that MMA referees, who happen to be in charge of the safety of professional athletes and have some control over the validity of the sport, can make huge mistakes that could potentially compromise a fighters safety or damage his professional record and get away with it clean. Makes no sense to me.

MMABay - Going back to your upcoming fight, Almeida is coming off a nearly nine month lay-off and making the drop to 170lbs for the first time. Do you think conditioning is going to be a factor? Does the game plan involve dragging him into deep waters?

Brown - I think he will make the cut fine and come in in good condition. He is a professional and has been doing this for years. I don't believe he would drop to 170 if he thought the cut would affect him negatively.

MMABay - Ricardo is a Renzo Gracie fighter, and there was something of a misunderstanding with those guys regarding you mentioning a potential fight with Renzo. With all that’s been said since then, do you fancy the winner of Renzo vs. Hughes at some point in the future?

Brown - There was some misunderstanding of me asking for Renzo Gracie as I would of course love to fight anyone of his stature including Matt Hughes. It gone blown out of proportion and I apologized and I hope they accepted the apology.

MMABay - Finally, for any fans who’ll be seeing you for the first time at UFC 111, what can they expect from a Matt Brown fight?

Brown - Expect to see a fight. Not a grappling match, or a sparring session. Expect a fight, period.

MMABay - Thanks for your time, and the best of luck for March 27th!

(An exclusive interview for MMABay.co.uk)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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