UFC Columbus: Matt Brown talks about ‘big mistake’ in war with Bryan Barberena

Matt Brown put on a show last night in his home state of Ohio. Opposite Bryan Barberena ‘The Immortal’ had a brawl for the ages. Unfortunately for Brown, the fight—his 42nd pro contest—ended in a split decision loss.

After the fight, which scooped Fight of the Night honours, Brown took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the bout.

“Thanks to everyone for all the support,” wrote Brown. “I felt like I won the first two rounds so held back in third. Big mistake apparently. Big respect to Barberena he’s a real fucking soldier.”

Brown then walked back his self-criticism. “Ok after rewatching I def didn’t hold back in 3rd rd. In my head I was,” he wrote. He followed that tweet up with a message stating his intention to fight on. He also shouted out Barberena, calling the three round war “a lot of fun”.

Despite not getting the win last night, Brown continued to make history in the UFC. The fight with Barberena padded Brown’s record for most welterweight contests in UFC history (29). Brown also holds the record for most finishes (14) and most knockouts (12) in the welterweight division. He’s tied with Vitor Belfort for second most knockouts (12) in UFC history.

Brown has amassed these records over a 29-fight UFC career that began back in 2008. He first appeared in an Octagon as part of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rampage vs. Team Forest. He was eliminated from that show by eventual series winner Amir Sadollah.

Brown’s best stretch in the UFC came between 2012 and 2015. During those years he held a seven-fight win streak that included devastating victories over Stephen Thompson, Jordan Mein, Mike Swick, Mike Pyle and Erick Silva.

The streak was snapped by Robbie Lawler, who beat Brown by unanimous decision in what was billed as a welterweight title eliminator.

He’s gone 4-7 since then with wins over Tim Means, Diego Sanchez, Ben Saunders and Dhiego Lima.