Matt Brown has had MMA fans on the edge of their seats over the past 18 months. Currently riding an impressive six-fight winning streak that includes five knockouts over some stiff competition, the TUF 7 veteran now has his next opponent booked, according to Dana White.
He will face off with Strikeforce’s final welterweight champion, Tarec Saffiedine.
Brown’s career has turned around in a profound way. In 2011, Brown very easily could have been released from the UFC following a 1-4 stretch. However, he righted the ship at UFC 143 with a second-round punch out of Chris Cope and has been on a tear since.
His three most recent wins have come against strong, enduring members of the welterweight division in TUF 1 veteran Mike “Quick” Swick, Canadian star Jordan Mein and, most recently, former WEC champion Mike Pyle. These victories have rocketed him into the top 10 of the welterweight division and had fans calling for fights with a similarly ranked opponent.
Tarec Saffiedine fits that bill. Saffiedine was one of the many talented-yet-unknown members of the Strikeforce welterweight division but became a household name after scoring a huge upset victory over former UFC middleweight contender Nate Marquardt in the promotion’s final event.
Saffiedine and Brown are ranked ninth and 10th respectively in the UFC’s welterweight division (you can check out the full rankings here).
There are currently three events planned for December: UFC on Fox 9, UFC Fight Night 33 and UFC 168.
Fight Night 33 is planned to take place in Australia, which likely means it will be a card stacked with talent from Oceania such as Mark Hunt, James Te Huna and Robert Whittaker. Both UFC on Fox 9 and UFC 168, however, are realistic landing spots for such a fight.
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