UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown believes Demian Maia is one of the toughest challenges of his career and is confident it will bring out the best in him at UFC 198.
'The Immortal' is an apt nick name for Matt Brown. The Ohio native has battled and conquered drug addiction in his personal life and has fought tooth and nail to make a name for himself in the UFC.
Currently ranked as the #8 welterweight in the world, Brown wasn't always regarded as one of the standout talents in the 170-pound division. In fact, the Ultimate Fighter season 7 competitor was almost cut from the UFC after dropping three straight in 2010. Brown summoned the willpower and determination to rally back and climb the championship ladder.
After winning seven straight, the Elevation Fight Team product fought current champ Robbie Lawler in a title eliminator bout at UFC on FOX 12. Brown lost a unanimous decision, but battled with 'Ruthless' till the final bell. The 35-year-old dropped another decision to former champJohny Hendricks last year but rebounded with a savvy first round submission victory over Tim Means.
Brown will look to remerge as a challenger to the throne when he takes on Demian Maia next weekend at UFC 198. The Muay Thai-based fighter has never been knocked out but has suffered nine submission losses throughout his career. That's exactly why Brown accepted the fight with Maia, who is one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters in the sport.
Brown explained to Duane Finley of Flo Combat that he wanted to test himself against Maia and believes that the submission specialist will bring out the best in him on May 14.
"I look for the challenge that will bring out the best in me and I think this upcoming fight is the perfect example," Brown said. "[The UFC] offered me other opponents. I received a text with three names on it and I sat back and did my best not to look at the names, instead I thought about how much of a challenge each person would be for me. Demian Maia was by far the largest one.
"I used the metaphor of him being a mountain. I could have climb the ones that were the same size, but I'm that sumb*tch who is going to pick the biggest and most dangerous one and go for it. I'll do that every single time. I won't shy away from it or even think twice about it. You give me that big mountain, I'm going to attack it."
Brown vs. Maia will kick off the main card of UFC 198, which takes place at Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil on May 14th.
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