Matt Brown pondering fighting future after KO win: “I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t fight again”

Matt Brown doesn’t know if he’ll make the walk to the Octagon again.

At UFC Vegas 29, Brown returned to the win column in a big way as he scored a violent second-round KO over Dhiego Lima. The first round was a back-and-forth one, but after the round ended, Brown saw some tendencies that allowed him to land the big power punch.

“I knew he was a dangerous guy with the counters. That was keeping me reserved a little bit and biding my time,” Brown said to BJPENN.com on Monday night. “You probably noticed I was doing a lot of fainting and tried to find his timing. I didn’t want to get hit by that big counter left hook. I was confident I was going to land that big shot but I didn’t know it would do the damage that it did. The first round was close, and in the second round, I downloaded all his data so to speak and figured out his timing, his speed, his footwork. The software was updated and I was ready to throw and land the big shot.”

Brown says he was happy with his performance as he proved a ton of people wrong. Entering the fight, Brown heard all the talk that he’s 40-years-old and can’t hang in the UFC anymore. Instead, he showed he still has it and cemented his case as a UFC fighter as he knows with a loss, he could’ve been cut.

“It was a relief in the sense of proving people wrong. I saw everyone saying I’m too old for this and I can’t do it anymore,” Brown said. “The biggest relief, though, was I was a little nervous that had I lost this fight, I could’ve gotten cut. That would’ve been three in a row, at 40 with the cuts they’ve been making, no one is really safe. I just had to put that pressure on the side and I was in that situation before. There is something about being on the edge that makes me fight better.”

Image Credit: USA Today

After the fight, many had wondered what would be next for Matt Brown. He has been vocal about retiring for quite some time and not knowing when the end would be.

On Saturday night, he said he would fight again but after returning home and doing some thinking, he says he still isn’t sure if he will fight again.

“To be honest, I’m going to take some time to think about my future. That’s what I have to do to think about. I’m definitely taking the summer off and give me time to think about it,” Brown said. “I do want to have an exit strategy and a plan, but on the same token, I don’t want to retire, I do want to fight more but it does come down to my personal life. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t fight again, I don’t know, though. Nothing would surprise me.”

If he does fight again, Matt Brown says he wants it to be in front of fans. Yet, he doesn’t care who it is against. He says he likes the idea of fighting a big name, but also likes shutting down up-and-comers.

“If I do decide to fight again, I’d say it wouldn’t be until the end of the year or early next year,” Brown concluded. “But, as I said, I will take some time to think about it. I’m torn on it as well like I do want the big fights and want the recognition. But, on the other side, I like the challenge of the new up-and-comers, I like the intensity and not knowing who they are or what they will do. Shutting down an up-and-comer feels great.”

Do you think we will see Matt Brown fight again?