Tag: Matt Brown

UFC Veteran Says It’s ‘Clear’ Colby Covington Isn’t Elite: ‘Lived Off His Shtick More So Than His Performances’

One former fighter thinks Colby Covington’s time as an elite UFC welterweight might have been up even before this past weekend’s result. Covington had his pursuit of a fourth shot at the undisputed 170-pound crown stalled emphatically by Joaquin Buckley in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. After a dominant opening […]

One former fighter thinks Colby Covington’s time as an elite UFC welterweight might have been up even before this past weekend’s result.

Covington had his pursuit of a fourth shot at the undisputed 170-pound crown stalled emphatically by Joaquin Buckley in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.

After a dominant opening two rounds for the rising “New Mansa,” a cut sustained early on by “Chaos” proved too severe for him to continue, with the cageside doctor advising referee Dan Miragliotta to wave off the fight in the third frame.

The result has left Covington 2-4 across his last six, 0-4 opposite currently ranked welterweights, and down at #9 in the pecking order.

Given his struggles, many have suggested the 36-year-old has declined and is no longer able to compete with the best the division has to offer.

During the latest episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer, UFC veteran Matt Brown questioned whether that might have already been the case prior to the year-ending event in Florida.

“It’s hard to argue he’s really been elite for a while,” Brown said. “He hasn’t done anything elite for a long time. I’m not even sure if the door was already closed. I thought this was kind of his chance to show that he is still an elite welterweight, and he didn’t pass the test. I think that door might have already been closed is the only caveat to that. We’ll see.

“I guess the question is whether he retires. It’s not even whether he’s an elite welterweight anymore. I think that answer’s pretty clear,” Brown continued. “Is he going to stick around? Is he going to keep fighting? Because he’s kind of lived off of his shtick more so than his performances, right?”

Covington was quick to reject any talk of retirement post-fight. On the contrary, he claimed this is “just the beginning.”

With that, it would appear that “Chaos” will be making the walk again in 2025. But after a defeat to a rising name like Buckley, his chances of returning to championship fights have no doubt slimmed significantly.

Merab Dvalishvili Gets Support From UFC Veteran For Latest Fan Altercation: ‘Don’t F*ck With Pro Fighters!’

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has been involved in several altercations with fans in recent times. The latest instance came this past weekend at UFC 310 where a video showed him being separated away from a member of the crowd when he was walking to the back with his teammate, Aljamain Sterling. Dvalishvili has since […]

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has been involved in several altercations with fans in recent times. The latest instance came this past weekend at UFC 310 where a video showed him being separated away from a member of the crowd when he was walking to the back with his teammate, Aljamain Sterling.

Dvalishvili has since shared a video on social media which suggests that the fan was a friend of Umar Nurmagomedov, who he will face at UFC 311 in his first title defense. This additional footage shows how the person grabbed him which kicked off the series of events that led to UFC fighter Dennis Buzukja trading punches with the man.

Buzukja later explained that the fan had also been trying to antagonize the 135-pound titleholder on their way to the Octagon for Sterling’s contest against Movsar Evloev. One former member of the roster is able to specifically relate to this kind of situation given his own interactions with fans in the past.

During the walk out for his fight against Demian Maia in Brazil back in 2016, Matt Brown was grabbed and hit by several people in the audience which led to him hitting back.

In a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s Fighter vs. Writer, Brown reflected on this experience and stood by Dvalishvili for his response to being provoked.

“I still say these fans, keep to your f*cking self, bro. You don’t f*ck with professional fighters. Most of us are martial artists that are respectful and stuff, but we’re also human beings and we’ll rip your f*cking throat out. Don’t f*ck with us. It’s stupid.

“You can’t grab a professional. Someone touches me, I’m f*cking them up.”

Brown also said that in the aftermath of his incident in Brazil, he wasn’t penalized for the altercation and the UFC looked to make changes to stop this kind of thing from happening.

“I remember Dana [White] changed things after that,” Brown said. “I don’t know what exactly the changes were but basically talking about separating the fans a little bit more, particularly in Brazil, maybe having a little bit better security when guys are walking out. I was right there in touching range, and they were hitting me and pulling my hat off.

“I’m not just going to sit here and take this, plus I’m completely fired up ready to walk into a fight. You get hit, it’s a natural reaction — you hit someone back.”

UFC Veteran: Stipe Miocic ‘Didn’t Really Want To Be There’ Against Jon Jones

Matt Brown believes Stipe Miocic seemed devoid of drive during his clash with Jon Jones. Miocic challenged reigning heavyweight champion Jones in the main event of UFC 309 last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The former longtime titleholder endured a dominant opening round, finding himself on his back as “Bones” rained […]

Matt Brown believes Stipe Miocic seemed devoid of drive during his clash with Jon Jones.

Miocic challenged reigning heavyweight champion Jones in the main event of UFC 309 last Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The former longtime titleholder endured a dominant opening round, finding himself on his back as “Bones” rained down heavy shots from the top position.

Unfortunately for Miocic, the subsequent rounds provided no relief. He failed to mount any offense and ultimately fell victim to a devastating spinning back kick to the body in the third frame, marking the fight’s decisive conclusion.

Miocic appeared to grapple with significant Octagon rust, returning to competition after a prolonged hiatus following his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260 in March 2021. At 42 years old, the Ohio native’s age also seemed to play a role, with his movements noticeably lacking the sharpness and agility he once showcased.

During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer on MMA Fighting, “The Immortal” weighed in on Miocic’s performance against Jones, remarking that the former champion appeared far beyond his years and looked athletically diminished at UFC 309.

“As bad as he looked athletically — he looked his age, also — I say he looked past his age, to be honest,” Brown said. “Straight legs, no hate on Stipe. It just looked like he didn’t have it at this point, and why should he? He came to challenge himself at the highest level with the greatest ever and didn’t pass the challenge.”

Brown further expressed that Miocic, in his eyes, seemed visibly disinterested and was lacking urgency.

“Stipe, to me, looked like he didn’t really want to be there. He’s there for the challenge and maybe the money. I don’t know what his motivations were exactly. But it didn’t look to me like he really wanted to be there.”

After his defeat, Miocic officially announced his retirement from active competition, bringing an end to a storied career. He concluded his tenure in the cage with a 20-5 record, with 14 of those victories coming by way of knockout.

UFC Vet Questions Jon Jones’ Handling Of Aspinall Avoidance: ‘Should Have Sent A PR Trainer To Him’

Former longtime UFC welterweight Matt Brown believes heavyweight champion Jon Jones should have approached his refusal to fight Tom Aspinall differently. Jones is currently days away from his first defense of the 265-pound crown, which he captured at the expense of Ciryl Gane in March 2023. Having been sidelined through injury since, “Bones” will meet […]

Continue Reading UFC Vet Questions Jon Jones’ Handling Of Aspinall Avoidance: ‘Should Have Sent A PR Trainer To Him’ at MMA News.

Former longtime UFC welterweight Matt Brown believes heavyweight champion Jon Jones should have approached his refusal to fight Tom Aspinall differently.

Jones is currently days away from his first defense of the 265-pound crown, which he captured at the expense of Ciryl Gane in March 2023. Having been sidelined through injury since, “Bones” will meet returning former champ Stipe Miocic in the UFC 309 main event.

The pair were originally set to collide last November prior to Jones’ injury. An interim champ subsequently joined the fray when Aspinall knocked out Sergei Pavlovich, but that fact hasn’t stopped “Bones” from pursuing Miocic.

His decision to avoid unifying the title has proved to be a controversial one. And UFC 309 fight week has even seen Jones suggest that the continuation of his fighting career beyond this weekend would only be to face light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira.

During a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer show, Brown pointed to that statement as a big mistake on Jones’ part.

“The fact that he brought up that he is going to fight again, and it’s not going to be the current interim champion, that’s a mistake on his part,” Brown said. “UFC should have sent a PR trainer out there to him or something. ‘How about we don’t talk about the future and focus on what we’re doing now. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.’

“But he crossed the bridge and opened up the door. He has to know when he says that, there’s going to be criticism that he’s ducking,” Brown continued. “It’s not a good look. Jon don’t give a f*ck. He just says it.”

Should Jones be set to stick to his stance post-his planned victory this weekend, it would appear that Aspinall will be relying on a late-notice withdrawal from Miocic to make his dream of fighting the all-time great a reality.

The Brit is currently in New York City to weigh in as backup fighter for the UFC 309 main event. Beyond his assignment on the scale this Friday, the interim champ’s next step is unclear.

Continue Reading UFC Vet Questions Jon Jones’ Handling Of Aspinall Avoidance: ‘Should Have Sent A PR Trainer To Him’ at MMA News.

UFC Vet Chimes In On Pereira vs. Topuria Fighter Of The Year Debate: ‘Alex Didn’t Knock Out P4P Greats’

Matt Brown believes that Ilia Topuria has the edge over Alex Pereira in the discussion for UFC Fighter of the Year. “El Matador” secured the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. Subsequently, Topuria successfully retained his belt last Saturday in the main event of UFC 308, making history as […]

Continue Reading UFC Vet Chimes In On Pereira vs. Topuria Fighter Of The Year Debate: ‘Alex Didn’t Knock Out P4P Greats’ at MMA News.

Matt Brown believes that Ilia Topuria has the edge over Alex Pereira in the discussion for UFC Fighter of the Year.

“El Matador” secured the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February. Subsequently, Topuria successfully retained his belt last Saturday in the main event of UFC 308, making history as the first fighter to knock out Max Holloway.

Meanwhile, “Poatan” successfully defended his light heavyweight title three times in just six months, with all victories coming by way of knockout. He began this impressive streak by stopping Jamahal Hill in the first round at UFC 300 in April. He then defeated Jiri Prochazka on two weeks’ notice at UFC 303 in June. Most recently, Pereira stopped Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 307 earlier this month.

With less than two full months remaining in 2024, Pereira stood out as the leading contender for Fighter of the Year. However, “The Immortal” contends that Topuria’s impressive knockout victories over two of the top 145-pounders in history had already secured him the year-end accolade, placing him ahead of the Brazilian and all other contenders.

During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer (via MMA Fighting), Brown noted that while “El Matador” might have one fewer win than Pereira this year, the caliber of his opponents in title fights has set a new benchmark for competitive excellence.

Continue Reading UFC Vet Chimes In On Pereira vs. Topuria Fighter Of The Year Debate: ‘Alex Didn’t Knock Out P4P Greats’ at MMA News.

UFC Veteran: Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira ‘Could Be As Big’ As A McGregor Fight

A recently retired UFC fighter believes the promotion could cash in big time by having reigning light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira challenge his heavyweight counterpart, Jon Jones. The possibility of Jones facing Pereira was barely a topic when the former debuted at heavyweight by winning the then-vacant title back in March 2023. At the time, […]

Continue Reading UFC Veteran: Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira ‘Could Be As Big’ As A McGregor Fight at MMA News.

A recently retired UFC fighter believes the promotion could cash in big time by having reigning light heavyweight kingpin Alex Pereira challenge his heavyweight counterpart, Jon Jones.

The possibility of Jones facing Pereira was barely a topic when the former debuted at heavyweight by winning the then-vacant title back in March 2023. At the time, “Poatan” occupied the throne at 185 pounds.

But since the end of his middleweight reign the following month, Pereira has moved up to light heavyweight and marked himself as one of the promotion’s leading stars by achieving two-division glory.

And a string of three straight title defenses in 2023 has left many calling for the Brazilian kickboxing specialist to move up again in pursuit of a historic achievement — championship glory in three separate weight classes.

Though Pereira was dismissive of an immediate heavyweight jump in the aftermath of his victory over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 earlier this month, many are hoping for the promotion to push for it should Jones keep hold of his gold beyond next month’s Madison Square Garden event.

During a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, former UFC welterweight Matt Brown touched on the topic and was firm in his belief when it comes to the magnitude of the potential clash.

“I don’t doubt this could be as big as any Conor fight,” Brown said. “This could be promoted to the max. They could do it (International) Fight Week or one of the gigantic cards maybe at the Sphere, something crazy. This could be enormous. Jon’s a smart guy. He’s here for the money now, I think. Legacy and money and Alex is going to bring that. It could be promoted as much as you want to promote. This could be the money fight. It’s heavyweight, too. Heavyweight fights always bring a stigma to them that those lighter fights just don’t bring.

“Conor obviously brought the trash talk and all the antics, the funny stuff and the cool stuff, there’s a certain aura when Conor comes into the cage,” Brown continued. “But there’s a different aura that can be sold here when Jon Jones, the greatest of all-time, who just beat the greatest heavyweight of all-time — assuming that happens — fighting another guy trying to do the biggest thing of all-time, (become) a three-weight world champion. I can’t think of a bigger fight outside of Conor, but I think it could be as big as any Conor fight.”

The bout has evidently been discussed internally, with UFC CEO Dana White revealing earlier this year that color commentator Joe Rogan has been pushing for “Poatan” and “Bones” to be matched up.

For the time being, Jones has his focus on the returning Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. Beyond that, most believe any continued stay in the sport as an active fighter should see him unify the heavyweight title against Aspinall.

But perhaps the UFC would share Brown’s view on the draw of Jones vs. Pereira instead.

Continue Reading UFC Veteran: Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira ‘Could Be As Big’ As A McGregor Fight at MMA News.