Matt Brown has made no secret of the fact he believes he deserves at shot at the UFC welterweight title.
After beating Erick Silva in a Fight of the Year candidate of a bout Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 40, UFC president Dana White agrees that Brown has worked his way onto the short list.
“This fight definitely puts him in the spot now where we’re going to give him one of those top contenders,” White said at the post-fight press conference in Cincinnati.
But White stopped short of saying Brown will get the next shot at Johny Hendricks‘ belt. There’s a deep list of contenders at 170 pounds, including Robbie Lawler, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Carlos Condit, and Tyron Woodley.
“That’s a nasty division right now,” White said. “With the departure of Georges St-Pierre, that division has become unbelievable, it’s like the wild, wild west in that division. Tons of tough guys, all scrapping to get the next shot at the title. Johny’s bicep is torn, we’re waiting for that to heal.”
Brown won for the seventh consecutive time, six of them finishes, with his hometown win over Silva. The fighter known as “The Immortal” said in his own inimitable manner that he plans on taking the belt whenever that opportunity might arrive.
“Let me make it clear, I’m not calling it a title shot,” said Brown, who pocketed $100,000 in bonuses for his victory, for Fight and Performance of the Night. “I’m calling it a title fight, because I’m not going to take a shot at it. I’m going to take the title when I go fight for it.”