Randy Brown actually wished to shine after incomes a most important card spot at UFC 302, however catastrophe struck earlier than he ever actually received going.
Whereas the end result nonetheless went his approach with a unanimous choice victory over Elizeu Zaleski, Brown had a lot greater plans in thoughts. He wished to dazzle the New Jersey crowd with hopes that a formidable win earned him a top-15 rating and step up in competitors.
As a substitute, Brown ended up profitable regardless of struggling a debilitating harm left him basically preventing with one hand and one leg for almost all of the three-round affair.
“Sadly, I wished to go on the market and get him out of there, however clearly simpler mentioned than achieved,” Brown mentioned Monday on The MMA Hour. “Robust vet. In fact, I break my foot about 1:10 [into the fight] and that simply mechanically kills all my weapons on the appropriate facet. No proper hand. No again leg. I’ve received to beat him with one hand. Much less motion. We made the changes and did what we now have to do.
“So I’m not completely happy as a result of I wished a end, I ought to have completed him, nevertheless it’s all good, we transfer ahead.”
Brown mentioned replays confirmed the precise second his foot received shattered after throwing a kick that bounced off Zaleski’s elbow. He masked the harm through the battle, though he informed his coach between rounds and so they made the required changes shifting ahead.
“Watch the battle and put it at 3:50 of the primary spherical,” Brown defined. “I throw a kick, a entrance kick that hit his elbow, and also you hear it goes ‘pop!’ Destroyed my foot. I am going from 100 to 50 and I’m preventing with one hand the entire time, as a result of I can’t twist or nothing. The one time I did attempt to twist, I virtually fell, after which I simply needed to keep on the one hand. However the caliber of fighter [I am], we make changes and we see it by way of.
“[When it happened,] I used to be similar to, f*ck. In my head I used to be like, ‘In fact. That’s my luck. That’s Randy Brown luck proper there.’”
Regardless of preventing with one foot for almost all of the bout, Brown nonetheless received the job achieved, placing himself on a three-fight UFC win streak.
As disenchanted as he was with the efficiency, he can’t stroll away completely dissatisfied with the end result as a result of issues may’ve gone a lot worse for him given the circumstances.
“That’s what we do,” Brown mentioned. “What can I say? That’s what we do. I can’t be completely happy. I’m completely happy, in fact, I ought to rejoice the little issues. I mentioned that main as much as the battle. The press is at all times asking me that, ‘Bro, are you content? Are you proud?’ Yeah, I’m, however the work shouldn’t be achieved. I’ve received a lot extra to do.
“That [win] was huge. That’s up there for me. Simply based mostly purely off the adversity, a damaged foot, him having my again for a full three minutes and with the ability to come out of that and trying to indicate him the way it’s achieved. All of that. It’s up there. I rank it up there with a few of my greatest performances. I do know I may have been higher. I’m telling you all, I used to be in high kind however the adversity made it good. The truth that I confirmed I may get out of that and nonetheless make these changes as a [high] caliber fighter.”
Brown left the sector on Saturday with a strolling boot on his foot and he expects to fulfill with docs this week to see the extent of the injury. He’s hoping the harm solely requires some relaxation to permit his foot to heal reasonably than being pressured to go below the knife.
“Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure,” Brown mentioned. “I wish to maintain this going, so I’ve received to get again in there. Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure, however we’ll see what occurs.”
If all goes effectively and he recovers in time, Brown desires his return to occur in November when the UFC is predicted to carry a card at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York.
That’d give him an opportunity to battle near residence once more as a New York-based athlete, and he’d love a shot at a ranked opponent. Following his win, Brown already had a reputation in thoughts for his subsequent battle, nevertheless he’s not married to anyone thought however reasonably anybody who permits him to progress in his profession and transfer up these UFC welterweight rankings.
“Nothing’s malicious for me, that is all enterprise,” Brown mentioned. “I’m simply making the strikes that I have to make for me and mine. I really feel like, yeah, he’s in an ideal place, everybody else is booked — me and Geoff Neal and even ‘Wonderboy’ [Stephen Thompson].
“‘Wonderboy,’ Geoff Neal, these are good matchups. These are guys the place I consider kinds make fights and I believe that I’ve an incredible fashion to beat these dudes and take their spots. So I’m coming for whoever I can get.”
