Three years ago, Travis Browne fought Fabricio Werdum with a UFC heavyweight title shot on the line. He lost that fight, and ever since then, the once up-and-coming prospect has gone downhill.
“Hapa” is riding a four-fight skid and hasn’t won since he finished Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 81 in January 2016. Since the first Werdum fight, the Hawaiian is 2-5.
Browne fought at UFC 213 in the event’s featured preliminary bout against No. 14-ranked heavyweight Oleksiy Oliynyk, and was a sizable favorite going into the matchup. He did not snap his losing streak, however; instead, after a back-and-forth first round, he was tapped out by “The Boa Constrictor” in the second round, marking his first loss by submission.
At the UFC 213 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White discussed Browne’s former potential. He then stated that the heavyweight, who is currently engaged to former UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey, should hang his gloves up.
“The guy looked like he would be a world champion,” White said. “And this is just one of those sports, you never know. One minute you’re absolutely unbeatable and unstoppable, and the next minute you can’t win a fight. … I think that Travis should retire.”
UFC 213 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8 and featured an interim middleweight title fight between Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker. “The Reaper” won by unanimous decision.
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