Times have changed in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Dana White’s Contender Series has changed the game for mixed martial arts (MMA) and more specifically the ability to enter the sport’s premiere promotion. With seven seasons now in the can, each year has seen UFC sign more fighters than the season before.
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) is still an ongoing platform for UFC and will launch its 32nd iteration in June 2024. Many notable names, legends, and eventual champions have come from the show, including veteran knockout artist, Matt Brown, who recalls the difficulties — or rarity — it took to reach the Octagon in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
“It’s not like I necessarily don’t have that respect for the guys today, but the barrier of entry is so much lower now,” Brown told MMA Fighting. “When I was coming up, the UFC was a dream. It was the Super Bowl. You get to the UFC, you’re the f—king man.
“Now, it’s not that it’s small, it’s not a small feat, but if you’re an athlete and you get into MMA and you train hard, you’re going to have a chance at the UFC,” he continued. “When I was coming up, the chance to get to the UFC was a big thing. Now it’s like everybody gets the chance.”
Brown, 43, entered UFC as part of TUF 7 when he scored a second round technical knockout over Matt Arroyo at the season’s finale event in June 2008. Since then, Brown (24-19) has entered the record books with 13 knockouts at Welterweight, the most in divisional history, and the second most overall in UFC history behind Heavyweight, Derrick Lewis. “The Immortal” last fought when he knocked out a fellow TUF alum, the season 11 winner, Court McGee, in round one at UFC Charlotte in May 2023 (watch highlights).
“Nowadays, I don’t even know what to tell up-and-coming fighters,” Brown said. “They’re like ‘I want to get four or five fights and then get to the UFC.’ A couple years ago, I’d be like don’t be a f—king idiot! Now I’m kind of like yeah, you might be able to do that.”