Interview with UFC’s Matt Brown!

Matt Brown made a name for himself during his appearance on the Ultimate Fighter reality series as a skilled, determined fighter who carried the intensity he showed inside the octagon around the house with him, brewing just under the surface, ready to be unleashed.  He made it clear that he was not there to make friends, or make a name for himself with a contrived star power persona full of funny quirks to allure fans that way.  No.  He was there to kick ass.  Period. 

 
What I expected to come across upon interviewing him was the hardass I thought I grew to know on the reality show, but instead, the Matt Brown I met was aggressively humble.  He had almost nothing but good things to say about other fighters, and even when given the opportunity, he did not jump at chances to brag about himself, as so many fighters often do.  Yes, fighting is a confidence and mental game, and having some degree of that helps some fighters, but after talking with Brown, it is clear that he is a man at a level of determination that an inflation of his ego is not something he needs to do.  His mind is set on his goal of being a champion, and a humble champion, especially one with a story as compelling as his, is a fighter fans will want to get behind. 

 
Fight Trader: Congratulations on your third win in a row.  Is this the best you have ever felt?

Matt Brown.  Yeah, I feel good, but I try not to get ahead of myself.  Beating these guys doesn’t mean that much; it’s not my ultimate goal or some amazing thing.  The best thing about it is that you have worked hard and accomplished your goal. 

 FT: I have noticed that after victories you don’t tend to jump around and turn back flips:

 MB: Some guys let their emotions get away from them. 

 FT: I agree, and sometimes there’s a lot of dancing around before checking to see if the guy is still breathing, which seems a little shitty.

 MB: Yeah, I don’t want to be disrespectful or cocky.  It’s not like I have anything against anyone.  I have a lot more goals in mind than just beating each guy.

 FT: So, when is it time to start turning some cartwheels?

 MB: (Laughs)

 FT: Who are you fighting next?

 MB: I haven’t heard a word yet.

 FT: Is there anyone in particular you would like to fight?

 MB: I’ll fight whoever, whenever, but I don’t call people out.  Whatever happens, happens.  I’m not here to prove anything to anyone else; it’s about testing myself.

 FT: Can you tell us a little about your training?  What have been recent gains you have made or important lessons?

 MB: I try not to get ahead of myself and work on all my basics.  I can’t do spinning back kicks if my jab isn’t straight, and that’s what my trainers do for me – keep me focused on basics.  What I’ve improved most is my grappling   It’s starting to come together, but then during competition everything changes.  The guys you practice with, you know how they’re going to react, and you get used to them.  Then the guy you’re fighting is going 100,000%  He’s going to switch it up on you, but if you work on your grappling enough, your body will know how to react. 

 FT: Tell us about your nickname “The Immortal.”  We’ve heard different stories as to where the name comes from, but we’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth.

 MB: I’ve had a few brushes with death, got the nickname, and friends just sort of ran with it.  Plus, the greatest accomplishment of all time would be to be immortalized forever. 

 FT: You sort of brushed over those “brushes with death.”  Do you want to tell us a little more about that?

 MB: (Laughs).  I overdosed on heroin and really dodged a bullet.  Another time I took too many Xanax and drank on it.  I don’t remember what was going on, but I remember waking up on a railroad track with a train coming about fifty yards away. 

FT: Holy shit!

 MB: Yeah, usually when you’re sleeping on Xanax you can sleep through a hurricane.  My friends were at a bonfire on the other end of trees, so they didn’t know I was there. 

 FT: So, when you think about moments like that, especially considering you could have very easily died in both those situations, did something save your life?  Did fighting save your life?

 MB: Fighting completely saved my life.  I was at a point where I had no hope.  I had a criminal record, couldn’t even get in the military because of my record, I couldn’t hold a job, I was going in and out of jail, lost my drivers license.  I thought I was going to be in and out of jail for the rest of my life, selling drugs.  Then I found something I truly enjoyed.  I was too old to go to college.  After high school, I could have went to college to play basketball, but now I could either sell drugs or work in a factory.  Fighting was my last ditch effort.

 Matt then stated that while he enjoyed fighting, while living in Manhattan, he made more money as a personal trainer, but he was finding it hard to work enough hours to afford to live in that area.  It was then when he heard about the Ultimate Fighter reality series tryouts in nearby New Jersey.

 Fight Trader: From what we saw on the reality show, you came across as a pretty serious fellah, driven, and not keen on becoming anyone’s friend.  Is that accurate, and did you come across how you thought you would?

 Matt Brown: I like how I the show portrayed me.  I thought they did fine.  My voice sounds a little different, but other than that, I was happy with it.

 Fight Trader: The most famous Matt Brown moment came when Justin May put the lime juice in your chewing tobacco, pissing you off, and then you beating the crap out of him in the Octagon.  Tell us about that, and if that wasn’t your favorite memory, what was?

 MB: That gave me my 15 minutes of fame.  People joke around with me about that all the time. 

 FT: How pissed were you?

 MB: The thing is, other people since have put lime juice in my dip, and I laugh, but this guy bugged me because he did this and I only talked to him once or twice before that – I genuinely did not like the dude. 

 Brown also revealed that something the show did not, the fact that Jeremy did this knowing that one of the coaches, Forrest Griffin, told May that he would be fighting Brown, which suggests that this was a power play/head game by Jeremy.

 FT: Did it burn like hell, the lime dip?

 MB: It didn’t hurt, it was just wet.  Then one of his own teammates told me that he did it, which shows you what his own team thought about him. 

 FT: What do you think about next season’s coaches Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell and their fight?

 MB: If Chuck beats Tito again, he’s got to knock him out, or people will say he’s going down hill.  This is the best time to fight Chuck because he’s at the end of his career.  Tito has changed a lot.  He has a new persona.

 FT: What would be your advice to new contestants going on The Ultimate Fighter, and do you think playing a character to some degree can further a career?

 MB: It’s been proven that having a personality is going to get you somewhere, especially when you see Dan Hardy getting a title shot.  The more humble guys like Jon Fitch, their time will come.  UFC is in the money making business, you can’t take anything away from them.  Jon Fitch, they’re not going to make money off them (him), but hardcore fans love watching him fight.

 FT: You look very much ready mentally when you step into the Octagon.  What are your preflight rituals?

 MB: I do a lot of mental training.  (It) Makes a huge difference.  I was really jet lagged in England, didn’t feel like fighting.  I use the mind to get the focus back on the fight. 

 FT: What you do is dangerous.  I’ve seen some brutal youtubes.  I know if my mom figures out I’ve been riding my bicycle, she freaks.  What does your mother, just out of curiosity, think about flying knees coming at your head?

 MB: (Laughs).  She’s never been to a fight.  She had never even seen a fight until I got on the UFC show.  She pretty much assumed I was going to give up based on how my life was going, but now she sees that I can do it for a living.

 FT: What about your significant other, if you have one?

 MB: My girlfriend gets nervous and screams at the top of her lungs when she watches.  When I met her, she didn’t even know what MMA was.  She thought it was like pro wrestling.  She almost broke up with me when she saw what it was actually like because she wasn’t sure she could date someone doing this. 

 FT: How about now?

 MB: Now we’re better.  Sometimes I have to tell her that I can’t talk to her for a whole week before a fight. 

 FT: A week?

 MB: Yeah.  When I’m that close to a fight, I don’t want to talk to nobody.  Just people involved with the fight.

 FT: Why should people watch Matt Brown fights and follow your career?

 MB: That’s a good question because I’m always surprised when people do follow me or care the way they do (long pause).  I think I put on decent fights.  I think they’re exciting.

 See what we’re talking about when we say humble?

 FT: Okay, thanks so much for taking the time with us today.  Are you sure there’s nothing at all you can tell us about your next fight?

 MB: I haven’t heard a word, but I’m going to call my manager and let him know a thought I just had, but I can’t tell you.  Nothing personal, I just don’t want people thinking I’m calling them out, like that thing with Renzo.

 This is in reference to a time where Matt Brown said on a radio show that he would like a fight with Renzo Gracie.  Despite clarifying at the time that he had nothing but respect for the fighter, some fans took that as Matt calling Renzo out.

 FT: I think that’s wise, Matt.  Don’t do anything without talking to the manager.  Thanks again and best of luck and continued success with you and your career.

 MB: Thanks.

By Matthew J. Swanson

Matthew J. Swanson is a playwright, fighting enthusiast, and author of all sorts of other “stuff.”  Get a look at his writing with links to other publications to which he contributes at his blog page updated every day (mostly) at www.thegancer.blogspot.com.