Matt Brown may never quite reach the peak of the mountain, but he has already gotten an awful lot closer than anyone could have predicted.
Brown’s UFC 185 loss to Johny Hendricks highlighted the limitations that will likely prevent him from ever getting his hands on a UFC title. However, The Ultimate Fighter veteran can take solace in the fact that his value to the organisation goes beyond his performance ceiling.
The former UFC welterweight champion shut down The Immortal’s game almost entirely, so it’s perhaps not the best example to highlight Brown’s upside. Still, the self-described “technical brawler” has accumulated plenty of goodwill in the minds of the fans and UFC brass from past performances.
With his title aspirations fading, it’s possible that the 34-year-old will soon serve as a gatekeeper for the welterweight division’s Top 10. With that said, let’s speculate on Brown’s more immediate future.