Matt Brown Recalls His Favorite UFC Memory

Matt Brown recalled his favorite UFC memory following his retirement. 

Brown retired after 19 years in MMA. He is a former UFC Welterweight who ended his career with a first-round KO win over Court McGee in 2023. He never won a world title. However, he left plenty of memories. He became the fighter with the second-highest KOs in the UFC at 13. He is one behind Derrick Lewis, who has the record at 14.

Brown’s Retirement

“Not doing it again. I’m out. That’s the announcement. My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help the community and the world,” Brown said 

“The only thing I was really holding off for was I thought I was going to get on UFC 300 and fight Jim Miller, and I was going to use that for my sendoff. I was pretty dead set on that: I’m going to fight Jim Miller at UFC 300, this would be the most badass sendoff ever fighting such a legend like Jim Miller on the biggest card in UFC history, and they didn’t make it happen,” Brown stated 

His MMA record ended with 26-19-0. At 43 years old, Brown remembered his 2014 fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189. Brown came into the fight in impressive form. He was on a seven-fight-win streak. A win over Lawler would have given him a potential title shot at the welterweight belt. While he lost a unanimous decision, the fight was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2023. 

“The fight between Robbie Lawler and Rory McDonald at UFC 189 was one of the most exciting fights in UFC history. This was an absolute war and a complete display of heart, grit, determination, and the will to win from both athletes. This five-round classic will always be remembered as one of the best and I can’t wait to induct this fight into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer,” Dane White said

Brown’s Best Memory

Brown looked back at the fight with fond memories. 

“The Robbie Lawler fight was actually my favorite. On a personal level…because I probably learned more as a martial artist in that fight than any fight in my career. Robbie is just an absolute savage and I just never faced someone like him before or after. I thought I won the fight, of course the judges gave it to him and it was close enough that it wasn’t a robbery or anything, but I feel like I performed really well considering the circumstances…The lessons that I took walking out of that cage have hit me a little deeper than any other fight…I wasn’t as powerful as I thought I was [at the time],” Brown said

Despite those memories, Brown could have carried on and created history. Given that he was one KO record behind Lewis, he could have continued to match that record or break it, especially since he stopped his last opponent. But at 43, Brown’s focus is on life outside the Octagon.