Randy Brown was hoping to really make a splash after earning a spot on the main card of UFC 302, but disaster struck before he could really get going.
The result was a unanimous decision victory over Elizeu Zaleski, but Brown had bigger plans in mind as he wanted to give the New Jersey crowd hope of moving up in the competition with an impressive win that would earn him a spot in the top 15.
Instead, Brown ultimately emerged victorious despite suffering serious injuries that essentially forced him to fight on one hand and one leg for much of the three-round bout.
“Unfortunately, I wanted to go out there and get him out of there, but it's easier said than done,” Brown said Monday. MMA Hour“He's a tough vet. Of course, he broke his leg in about a minute and 10 seconds. [into the fight] That automatically disables all of your weapons on the right side. You can't use your right hand or your back leg. You have to take him down with one hand. You have less movement. We made the adjustments and did what we had to do.
“So I'm not happy. I wanted to finish and I should have finished, but it all worked out and we move on.”
Brown said replays showed the exact moment a ricocheting kick from Zaleski's elbow shattered his leg, and that he hid the injury during the fight but told his coach between rounds so he could make the necessary adjustments for the bout.
“Watch the fight and look at the 3:50 mark of the first round,” Brown explained. “I threw a kick. A front kick hit his elbow and you hear a pop. My leg broke. I went from 100 to 50, but I was fighting one-handed the whole time because I couldn't twist or do anything. One time I tried to twist and I almost went down, but I had to hold on with one hand. But the strength of the fighter is… [I am]Make adjustments and get it done.
“[When it happened,] I was just like, 'Damn.' In my mind, I was like, 'Of course. That's my luck. That's Randy Brown's luck.'”
Despite fighting on one leg for the majority of the bout, Brown got the job done and recorded his third straight win at UFC.
He was disappointed with his performance but cannot walk away completely unhappy with the result as things could have been a lot worse given the circumstances.
“That's our job,” Brown said. “What can I say? That's our job. I couldn't be happier. Of course I'm happy. You have to celebrate the little things. I said that before the game. The press always asks me, 'Bro, are you happy? Are you proud?' Yeah, I'm happy, but the job's not done. There's still a lot of work to do.”
“that [win] It was a big deal. For me, that's a big deal. Just thinking about the adversity, the broken leg, and him having my back for the whole three minutes and trying to get me out of there and show him how to do it, that's a big deal. It's one of my best performances, my best performances. I know I could have done better. I want to tell you guys, I was at my best, but the adversity made it good. The fact that I got out of there and showed that I could still adjust, [high] “Calibre fighter.”
Brown left the arena Saturday with a walking boot on his foot and will meet with doctors later this week to determine the extent of the damage, hoping he will simply need to rest his foot and let it heal without needing surgery.
“I hope it's not surgery,” Brown said. “I want to keep it going, so I've got to come back. I hope it's not surgery, but we'll see.”
If all goes well and Brown recovers in time, he hopes to return in November, when UFC plans to hold a card at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Brown said it would give him another chance to fight in his hometown as a New York-based athlete, and that he would love to face a ranked opponent. Following his win, Brown has already decided who his next fight will be, but rather than being tied to a specific opponent, he is open to anyone who can help him advance his career and rise up the UFC welterweight rankings.
“There's no ill will on my part. This is all business,” Brown said. “I'm just doing what I need to do for myself and my family. He's in a perfect spot and everybody else is booked – me and Geoff Neal or even 'Wonderboy.' [Stephen Thompson].
“Wonderboy Geoff Neal, that's a good fight. I believe style decides fights and I think I have a great style to beat these guys and take their place, so I'm open to fighting anyone.”
