If Matt Brown does score a fight with fellow Octagon icon Jim Miller at UFC 300, it will likely be the last time we see ‘The Immortal’ strap on the four-ounce gloves.
On Saturday night (January 13), Miller earned his 26th career UFC victory, besting Gabriel Benitez with a nasty neck crank in the third round. Immediately following the bout, ‘A-10’ called for a clash with Brown at the promotion’s massive milestone event scheduled for April 13.
Now Matt Brown has responded to the callout with an emphatic yes, revealing in a recent interview that if both men sign on the dotted line, it could very well be his last stand.
“It would be an honor,” Brown said on the newest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I love Jim Miller. Much respect for him. The only downside is he is a [155-pounder] so he’d be coming up to my weight class. If anything, it would be an advantage for him because he wouldn’t be cutting weight and I would, so it would be a little advantageous [for him]. But he would be the smaller guy. That would take a little bit away from it.
“But the fact is, I’m at the tail end of my career. I get on [UFC] 300, there’s a good chance that could be my last fight.”
Matt Brown Admits to Losing his Passion for fighting
The 43-fight veteran made his promotional debut as part of The Ultimate Fighter 7 all the way back in 2008. Along the way, he has earned victories over notable names including Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, Tim Means, and Court McGee. In more recent years, Miller’s appearances have been few and far between with him only fighting once in 2022 and 2023.
This wouldn’t be the first time ‘The Immortal’ has teased his potential retirement. Following a brutal beatdown of Diego Sanchez in 2017, Brown indicated that he may be ready to hang up his gloves for good. In the seven years since he has added three more highlight-reel-worthy knockouts to his resume.
However, this round of retirement talk feels vastly different than the last with his role as a parent now taking priority over punching people in the face.
“I’d say a pretty good chance, to be honest [that it’s my final fight],” Brown said. “Just life isn’t what it used to be. The kids are growing up. I miss so many things of theirs for training. It’s kind of to that point now, where my son’s in wrestling season right now and I don’t want to be missing his wrestling matches, because I’ve got to go train. I want to go to his wrestling matches. On top of that, I’ve got so many up-and-coming fighters that just aren’t really getting any attention from me. I’ve got some f*cking killers, some guys you’re going to see in the UFC soon, and I can’t really help them out a whole lot.
“I’ve just got a lot of other things going on. I’ve kind of lost my passion for fighting, but I feel like life is taking me down a different road right now. It’s just a different season of my life” (h/t MMA Fighting).