Randy Brown actually wished to shine after incomes a principal card spot at UFC 302, however catastrophe struck earlier than he ever actually bought going.
Whereas the outcome nonetheless went his manner with a unanimous resolution 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 an alternative, Brown ended up successful regardless of struggling a debilitating damage 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 carried out,” Brown mentioned Monday on The MMA Hour. “Robust vet. After all, I break my foot about 1:10 [into the fight] and that simply routinely kills all my weapons on the appropriate aspect. No proper hand. No again leg. I’ve bought 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, however it’s all good, we transfer ahead.”
Brown mentioned replays confirmed the precise second his foot bought shattered after throwing a kick that bounced off Zaleski’s elbow. He masked the damage through the combat, though he instructed his coach between rounds and so they made the mandatory changes shifting ahead.
“Watch the combat 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’m 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 via.
“[When it happened,] I used to be identical to, f*ck. In my head I used to be like, ‘After all. 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 bought the job carried out, placing himself on a three-fight UFC win streak.
As dissatisfied as he was with the efficiency, he can’t stroll away completely dissatisfied with the outcome 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 happy. I’m completely happy, in fact, I ought to rejoice the little issues. I mentioned that main as much as the combat. The press is at all times asking me that, ‘Bro, are you cheerful? Are you proud?’ Yeah, I’m, however the work is just not carried out. I’ve bought 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 carried out. 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 fulfill with docs this week to see the extent of the injury. He’s hoping the damage solely requires some relaxation to permit his foot to heal quite than being pressured to go below the knife.
“Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure,” Brown mentioned. “I wish to hold this going, so I’ve bought to get again in there. Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure, however we’ll see what occurs.”
If all goes properly and he recovers in time, Brown needs his return to occur in November when the UFC is anticipated to carry a card at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York.
That’d give him an opportunity to combat 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 combat, nevertheless he’s not married to anyone thought 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 imagine kinds make fights and I feel that I’ve an incredible model to beat these dudes and take their spots. So I’m coming for whoever I can get.”
