It wasn’t that long ago that Travis Browne was being called the next big thing in the heavyweight division. One of Greg Jackson’s standout fighters and training partner to the likes of Jon Jones, he stood undefeated in April 2012—steadily making his way through the UFC’s 265-pound division.
But his momentum was decidedly slowed down last October after getting TKO’d at the hands of Antonio Silva in his first headline event at UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot.
Today he stands at No. 8 in the UFC’s rankings, three places behind his forthcoming opponent, Alistair Overeem.
Overeem is another fighter who tasted defeat in his last fight against Silva. Both fighters, who’ll face each other on August 17, are fighting for relevancy in the division.
However, for Browne, the Dutch fighter is undoubtedly his toughest contest yet. Overeem is a veteran of the sport, a former Strikeforce heavyweight champion and a winner of the K-1 World Grand Prix—the biggest kickboxing event in the world.
And for all his achievements, Browne has never looked as good in his fights as Overeem. It’s true, Browne’s loss to Silva came after an injury sustained in the opening seconds of the match, leading to his eventual TKO in the first round. But even before that, his career was yet to be defined by head turning wins.
His win over Gabriel Gonzaga in his last fight came from clearly illegal elbows to the back of the Brazilian’s head, as Browne struggled to prevent a takedown. Prior to that, we see a submission win for Browne over the UFC’s two-fight wonder, Chad Griggs (released from his contract in January). And before that was a lacklustre decision win over another two-fight wonder in the UFC, Rob Broughton.
Add a draw against mediocre talent Cheick Kongo, in a fight he was losing but for a point deduction against Kongo, and it’s clear that Browne has yet to stamp his mark on the heavyweight division.
That could all change when he meets Overeem, returning to the Octagon for the first time since February. A win over him would, without doubt, signal that Browne can contend for heavyweight gold.
But that’s a tall order. If we see the same Overeem who demolished the likes of Brock Lesnar inside the first round—and that’s a big “if”—then it could be a short night for Browne.
As things stand, with Cain Velasquez’s dominant reign, and with the UFC’s No. 2 heavyweight, Daniel Cormier, indicating a drop down to the light heavyweight division, the race for a title shot is still wide open.
Browne will make his case for that shot when he faces his next opponent at UFC Fight Night 26 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts in a little over two weeks.
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