Matt Brown indicated prior to his UFC on ABC 1 fight with Carlos Condit that retirement could be on the horizon, win or lose.
Brown (22-18 MMA, 15-12 UFC) left the octagon with the latter result after dropping a competitive unanimous decision to Condit (32-13 MMA, 9-9 UFC) in their Jan. 16 co-main event matchup at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
At 40, and with a welterweight record 27 UFC appearances to his credit, it wouldn’t be a stunner if Brown decided he was done. He’s already hung up his gloves once but said he currently has no intentions to do it again. The outcome of the Condit fight has led Brown to think he has a lot more to offer.
“I retired a few years ago, and then when I came back the primary motivator was just be a prize fighter and make some more money, but since I’ve come back, I’ve really loved the whole process again,” Brown told MMA Junkie Radio. “(I’ve) really fell in love with it more again. I’ve kind of seen how good that I can be and the skills that I can – the skills have grown so much. I think I have a lot more in me. I think I can do a lot bigger things than I’ve ever done before.”
On paper, Brown is 1-2 since coming back from his retirement, which lasted a little more than two years from November 2017 through December 2019. A knockout loss to Miguel Baeza last May was undeniable, but the fight with Condit is a little more difficult for him to stomach.
Brown expressed his frustration with the scoring in his loss and thinks he had a case for winning. He said he’s taken important lessons away from it, though, and while he would certainly like another shot at the former WEC and interim UFC welterweight champ, it’s not something he’ll chase.
“I know specifically what mistakes I made and what I can do to fix those up,” Brown said. “But I’m not that guy, either, where I go out and beg for rematches. We get out 15 minutes, and that’s your time to shine, and either you get it done or you don’t.”
So, Brown now moves forward. He said figuring out his next move is a bit of a challenge, because while he knows he’s capable of being extremely active, the reality of being a father to three young children precludes him from fighting as frequently as he did earlier in his career.
Brown said his physical condition is better than ever, though, and that comes from taking a smarter approach to the game.
“I had to tone down a lot of (training) – probably more just the overall volume,” Brown said. “I’ve always been a high-volume training guy where I put in two, three sessions every day, sometimes seven days a week for three (or) four weeks at a time. Putting more emphasis on he recovery and taking the days where I can relax and get my mind away from fighting and just enjoy life more. I’ve always trained so hard that I didn’t have an outside life.”
To watch the full interview with Brown, check out the video below.
Matt Brown opts against retirement after UFC on ABC 1 loss: ‘I have a lot more in me’
