Travis Browne ended Josh Barnett’s night at UFC 168 with an onslaught of elbows. The fight lasted a total of 60 seconds, earning Browne his third consecutive Knockout of the Night bonus. A few weeks after the loss, Barnett appeared on The MMA Hour, unveiling his 12-step program to return to UFC dominance. That, according to Browne broke the Golden Rule of MMA.
“He had these twelve steps and all this other kind of nonsense when really there’s just one step, one thing you really need to do in this sport, and it’s the Golden Rule, and that’s make no excuses,” Browne said on the most recent edition of The MMA Hour.
Browne’s take on the subject of excuses runs a little deeper than that, the No. 3 ranked UFC heavyweight continued by saying, “If you make no excuses, there’s nothing holding you back. People beat themselves in this sport. On that night, on any night, I’m the better fighter. I 100 percent believe that of myself, and that’s why I went out there and did what no one else has done in such a short amount of time to a fighter like Josh Barnett.”
The win over Barnett was Browne’s 16th career victory in 18 fights. In addition to those wins, he has a draw and a loss on his record. Speaking of his sole loss, an October 2012 first round TKO loss to Antonio Silva, Browne followed his Golden Rule of MMA, offering no excuses. “The night that I fought Bigfoot, he was the better man. He beat me that night. No excuses.”
The 31-year-old Hawaiian lost that fight after suffering a torn hamstring in his left leg. Browne didn’t mention the injury when discussing the loss to Silva. Like he said, many times during his time on the show, no excuses.
Browne rebounded from that loss with first round knockouts of Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem and Barnett. Those knockouts have set Browne up with a heavyweight title eliminator against No. 2 ranked Fabricio Werdum at UFC on Fox 11.
Browne will prepare for that April 19 fight by traveling from his home and children in San Diego, CA. To prepare for Werdum, Browne will travel to Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, NM. That move, according to Browne is part of his no excuses mentality, “It’s hard for me to be a father and the fighter that I am in the same day. I have to separate those two,” Browne said. “So, when I do my camps now, I’m in Albuquerque, and that kills me, but that drives me to work as hard as I do because I have no excuses. I have nothing holding me back.”
If Browne’s run to the top of the UFC heavyweight division does get derailed by Werdum, don’t look for Browne to break the Golden Rule of MMA, “If there’s a man that beats me right now, there is not an excuse. You are the better man and I have no problem admitting that.”
UFC on Fox 11 will take place at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
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