Randy Brown actually wished to shine after incomes a major card spot at UFC 302, however catastrophe struck earlier than he ever actually obtained going.
Whereas the end result nonetheless went his approach with a unanimous resolution 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 an alternative, Brown ended up successful regardless of struggling a debilitating damage left him primarily 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 completed,” Brown mentioned Monday on The MMA Hour. “Robust vet. After all, I break my foot about 1:10 [into the fight] and that simply robotically kills all my weapons on the proper aspect. No proper hand. No again leg. I’ve obtained to beat him with one hand. Much less motion. We made the changes and did what we’ve got to do.
“So I’m not glad 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 obtained shattered after throwing a kick that bounced off Zaleski’s elbow. He masked the damage throughout the battle, though he instructed his coach between rounds they usually made the mandatory changes transferring ahead.
“Watch the battle 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 nearly 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 similar 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 obtained the job completed, placing himself on a three-fight UFC win streak.
As upset as he was with the efficiency, he can’t stroll away completely dissatisfied with the end result as a result of issues may’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 glad. I’m glad, after all, I ought to have fun the little issues. I mentioned that main as much as the battle. The press is at all times asking me that, ‘Bro, are you content? Are you proud?’ Yeah, I’m, however the work is just not completed. I’ve obtained a lot extra to do.
“That [win] was huge. That’s up there for me. Simply primarily based 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 completed. All of that. It’s up there. I rank it up there with a few of my greatest performances. I do know I may have been higher. I’m telling you all, I used to be in prime kind however the adversity made it good. The truth that I confirmed I may get out of that and nonetheless make these changes as a [high] caliber fighter.”
Brown left the sector on Saturday with a strolling boot on his foot and he expects to satisfy with docs this week to see the extent of the harm. He’s hoping the damage solely requires some relaxation to permit his foot to heal fairly than being pressured to go underneath the knife.
“Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure,” Brown mentioned. “I need to hold this going, so I’ve obtained to get again in there. Fingers crossed that it’s not surgical procedure, however we’ll see what occurs.”
If all goes nicely 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 battle near dwelling 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 battle, nevertheless he’s not married to anyone thought however fairly 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 have to 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 kinds make fights and I feel that I’ve an incredible fashion to beat these dudes and take their spots. So I’m coming for whoever I can get.”
