Randy Brown actually wished to shine after incomes a essential card spot at UFC 302, however catastrophe struck earlier than he ever actually acquired going.
Whereas the consequence nonetheless went his approach with a unanimous choice victory over Elizeu Zaleski, Brown had a lot larger 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 successful regardless of struggling a debilitating damage left him basically combating 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. “Powerful vet. In fact, I break my foot about 1:10 [into the fight] and that simply robotically kills all my weapons on the proper facet. No proper hand. No again leg. I’ve acquired to beat him with one hand. Much less motion. We made the changes and did what we have now to do.
“So I’m not completely satisfied as a result of I wished a end, I ought to have completed him, but it surely’s all good, we transfer ahead.”
Brown mentioned replays confirmed the precise second his foot acquired shattered after throwing a kick that bounced off Zaleski’s elbow. He masked the damage throughout the struggle, though he informed his coach between rounds they usually made the mandatory changes transferring ahead.
“Watch the struggle 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 combating 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 means 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 combating with one foot for almost all of the bout, Brown nonetheless acquired the job achieved, placing himself on a three-fight UFC win streak.
As disillusioned as he was with the efficiency, he can’t stroll away completely dissatisfied with the consequence as a result of issues might’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 satisfied. I’m completely satisfied, in fact, I ought to have a good time the little issues. I mentioned that main as much as the struggle. The press is at all times asking me that, ‘Bro, are you cheerful? Are you proud?’ Yeah, I’m, however the work will not be achieved. I’ve acquired a lot extra to do.
“That [win] was large. 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 point out 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 might 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 might get out of that and nonetheless make these changes as a [high] caliber fighter.”
Brown left the world on Saturday with a strolling boot on his foot and he expects to satisfy with medical doctors this week to see the extent of the harm. He’s hoping the damage solely requires some relaxation to permit his foot to heal quite than being compelled to go below the knife.
“Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure,” Brown mentioned. “I need to preserve this going, so I’ve acquired 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 needs 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 struggle near house 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 struggle, nevertheless he’s not married to anybody concept however quite 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 must 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 types make fights and I feel that I’ve an amazing model to beat these dudes and take their spots. So I’m coming for whoever I can get.”
